Rajkot: Two separate incidents of fatal knife attacks triggered by past rivalries were reported in Amreli and Bhavnagar on Diwali night, claiming the lives of two men and leaving four others injured.In Amreli district’s Khambha town, an attempt to negotiate an end to an ongoing transport feud turned violent, resulting in the murder of 35-year-old Sultan Solanki. The dispute stemmed from a two-month-old disagreement over freight fares between local transport operators Naeem Chauhan and Habibshah Pathan. Around 7:30 pm, both sides assembled for a compromise meeting mediated by Hussain alias Kalu Solanki at a scrap yard opposite the Khambha Marketing Yard, run by the victim’s brother, Salim Solanki. The accused and the victim are both in the same business, and the victim wanted the accused to charge the fair freight of transportation to provide him with a level playing field.However, the talks fell apart when Habibshah and his brother Osmanshah arrived armed with knives, accompanied shortly after by Habibshah’s son Rizwan, Osmanshah’s son Akil, Abdulshah Masumnshah Rafai, and two unidentified men. The armed group launched an attack; Sultan succumbed to massive blood loss during medical treatment, leaving behind two sons and a daughter. Khambha police booked seven accused under various sections of the BNS, including 103(1) for murder, and arrested all seven suspects, according to Investigation Officer K. V. Chudasama.Just hours later, around 10 pm in Bhavnagar city’s Karchaliya Para area, an old dispute escalated into another fatal knife attack. Rohit Baraiya (32), a daily-wage labourer, was ambushed close to his house while heading out on his motorcycle to purchase dinner.According to a complaint lodged by Rohit’s mother, Jagu Baraiya, at Gangajaliya police station, their rear neighbour Vijay Rathod and his two sons—Ram and Kartik—had held a grudge following a minor quarrel that occurred a year ago. As Rohit rode down the street, Ram struck him on the back of his neck with a knife, knocking him off his two-wheeler. Vijay then pinned Rohit to the ground while Ram stabbed him in the left chest and Kartik struck him in the back and shoulder. The victim was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead.
