Three people, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bharat Singh, were burned to death after their vehicle was set on fire in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh, India. The incident occurred late Tuesday night in Naugaon village under Sonhat police station. According to the victims’ family, Bharat Singh had gone to discuss a settlement over a sand mining dispute and was attacked on his way back.

Police have arrested four suspects so far and filed cases against nine individuals on charges of murder and attempted murder. Preliminary reports indicate that Bharat Singh’s family had been awarded a sand mining contract in the area. Local residents claimed that the dispute stemmed from control over alleged illegal collections linked to sand transport and quarry operations across several nearby villages.

The conflict had reportedly been ongoing for months between supporters of Bharat Singh and the family of another BJP leader, Manoj Tripathi, highlighting deep tensions over local resource control in the region.