A violent dispute over alcohol ended in tragedy in Tikra village, Kanpur, when a woman allegedly attacked her husband with an axe, police said. The incident took place late Wednesday at their home in the Bithoor area, leaving their four-year-old son hiding in fear during the attack.

Attack Deemed Intentional

The deceased, 45-year-old Ravishankar Savita, also known as Pappu, worked in a tile and stone-laying firm. Authorities said both husband and wife were intoxicated when a heated argument escalated into a brutal assault. “The couple had consumed alcohol together and the wife then attacked her husband,” said DCP West Dinesh Tripathi, emphasisng that the attack appeared intentional.

Veerangana, 35, reportedly struck her husband multiple times with an axe and also used blunt objects like a rolling pin and grinding stone. Pappu was rushed to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital but died during treatment. Post-mortem reports revealed more than ten severe head injuries, with excessive bleeding leading to coma cited as the cause of death.

After the attack, Veerangana allegedly attempted to mislead authorities, claiming her husband had suffered an accident. When police arrived, she was seen cleaning blood from the house. Investigators also found blood-soaked clothing and a wooden stool, though the axe used in the attack was missing.

Pappu’s mother, Bitola Devi, said her son had married Veerangana in 2019, and the couple had one child. She added that quarrels had begun a few months after the marriage. Pappu’s brother, Santosh, said, “As we tried to take him to the hospital, she argued with us and became violent,” recalling the family’s struggle to save him.

Neighbours claimed both Pappu and Veerangana had issues with alcohol and often fought, with some incidents leading to complaints at Bithoor police station. They said Veerangana drank more heavily than her husband, and even her father had been troubled by her behaviour in the past.

Veerangana sustained a head injury during the attack and was arrested on Friday morning. Police are continuing their investigation and searching for the missing axe.