A 41-year-old man, Ranjit Pandov, was killed in police firing in Assam's Sivasagar district on Tuesday after he attacked his neighbours with a machete and later attempted to assault a police team called in by the locals to control the situation.
According to police sources, Pandov - a resident of at Bordiroi tea estate in Demow area -- was a habitual alcoholic who regularly consumed local brew known as "Sulai". He also had a history of violence.
Pandov would routinely beat his wife and five children - one young son and four teenage daughters - with sticks and threaten them with a machete, saying he would kill them, police sources said.
On Sunday, Pandov's wife and children had fled to their maternal uncle's home as the level of his violence had increased.
On Tuesday, around 8.30 pm, Ranjit Pandov began drinking again and became violent, creating a disturbance in the neighbourhood.
The situation escalated when his next-door neighbour, Mortin Pandov and his wife Geeta Pandov, came out of their home and requested him to stop the ruckus as their daughter was preparing for her Class 10 board exams.
Mortin Pandov and his wife Geeta were attacked by Ranjit Pandov and got injured.
Sources said Ranjit Pandov got extremely agitated and attacked the couple with a machete, critically injuring them. Mortin suffered a deep cut on his neck and Geeta was slashed on her leg. They were rushed to Demow Model Hospital before being transferred to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh for advanced treatment.
Police sources added that when members of the Village Defence Party attempted to intervene, Ranjit Pandov tried to attack them with the same machete, prompting them to call the police.
A team from Demow Police Station rushed to the spot and for over 40 minutes, tried to reason with Pandov and calm him down. But Pandov became increasingly violent and began chasing and attempting to attack the police team with his machete.
"When Ranjit Pandov advanced menacingly with the machete towards police commando Rupam Borpatra, who was part of the police team, Borpatra fired two warning shots. But when he kept advancing, the commando fired two shots at his leg, which hit him in his thigh," said Hiren Kumar Deka, a senior officer of Demow police.
Pandov was taken to the Demow Model Hospital in a police vehicle due to the unavailability of an ambulance. He was subsequently shifted to Assam Medical College Hospital at Dibrugarh, again in a police vehicle, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Mortin Pandov remains in critical condition in the ICU, battling for his life, while his wife Geeta is reported to be out of danger, police sources added.
Hearing about the incident, Pandov's wife and children returned. They also recounted the horrors of his abusive nature.
"We were beaten daily by him and because of fear, we had to leave the house," his family members told reporters.
Neighbours also confirmed similar accounts of Pandov's violent behaviour and the "atmosphere of terror he created in the locality".
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