Man shoots brother dead after dispute over mother’s post-death rituals

Gorakhpur: A dispute over the organisation of their mother’s post-death ‘brahm bhoj’ turned fatal in Gorakhpur’s Pipraich area on Tuesday when a man allegedly shot his younger brother dead.The victim, Shubham Sharma, sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was rushed to Nehru Hospital at BRD Medical College, where doctors declared him dead. The accused, 40-year-old Durgvijay Sharma, remains absconding.According to police, tensions had been brewing among the brothers over arrangements for the ‘brahm bhoj’ following their mother’s recent death. While Shubham and another brother wanted a joint ceremony, Durgvijay and one more sibling reportedly favoured holding separate events.The disagreement escalated into a heated altercation on Tuesday afternoon at their home in Barki Rewtiya village. During the argument, Durgvijay allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and fired at Shubham, hitting him in the chest and leaving him critically injured.The incident triggered panic among family members and villagers. After receiving information, Pipraich police rushed to the spot, inspected the crime scene and collected evidence.SP North Gyanendra Kumar said the preliminary investigation indicates that the murder stemmed from a family dispute over the ‘brahm bhoj’ arrangements. Teams have been formed to arrest the accused.