A 55-year-old man was killed and his son was seriously injured in a confrontation over the possession of three decimals of land at Prasanno Nagar village under the jurisdiction of Jalangi police station in Murshidabad on Thursday morning.

On Thursday morning, a conflict over possession of land erupted between two neighbouring families.

Lokman Mondal, 48, one of the accused, held Asraful Sheikh by his hair and pushed him to the ground while his wife Rasida Bibi, 43, struck him on the head with an iron rod.

Lokman then continued the assault with a sharp weapon, inflicting fatal injuries on Asraful, who was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead upon arrival.

Asaraful's son, Al Amin Sheikh, 22, who attempted to intervene and save his father, was also attacked. He sustained severe head injuries from an iron rod and was admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Berhampore in critical condition. Although he suffered significant blood loss, hospital sources said that his condition is now stable.

The accused, Lokman, his wife Rasida Bibi, and their daughter-in-law Jesmina Bibi, 23, fled from the scene and are currently absconding. Police have launched a search operation to apprehend the absconders.

Sources in the locality said that disputes between the two families were a regular affair though it never had been violent.

A local resident said: "There were occasional quarrels between these two families, but today it went to the extreme, resulting in the death of one person."

The authorities have initiated a murder case and are conducting regular patrols in the village to maintain peace and order. Additional Superintendent of Police (Lalbag), Raspreet Singh, confirmed the tragic incident and the ongoing efforts to capture the suspects.

"A murder case has been initiated. The accused are absconding. Police patrols are on in the village," Singh said.