AGRA: Eight men, including four brothers, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 30-year-old farmer, following a violent incident that erupted from a minor dispute during Holi celebrations in 2023 in Aligarh. The court of additional sessions judge Nawal Kishore also imposed a fine of Rs 22,000 on each convict.The victim’s father, Dhyanpal Singh, said tensions between the two families had been simmering for some time over unresolved disagreements. On March 8, his son, Mukesh, was passing in front of the accused’s house around 3 pm when the eight men allegedly attacked him with lathis, sticks and bricks. The assault escalated when Mukesh was dragged to a terrace and thrown down, causing severe injuries to his head and legs. Despite efforts to rush him to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries on the way.Based on Dhyanpal’s complaint, police registered a case under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 302 (murder). The convicts — brothers Komal Singh, Rajaram, Amar and Thakurdas, along with their relatives, all farmers from Nagla Prithivi village under Vijaygarh police station limits — were arrested and later released on bail as the trial proceeded.Additional district govt counsel (ADGC) Swarn Lata Verma said on Saturday, “The court found the eight men guilty of killing Mukesh and delivered the verdict on Friday. Following the pronouncement, they were taken back into custody and sent to jail to serve their sentence.”