A 34-year-old son in Punjab killed his widowed mother after heated arguments over the latter’s refusal to give the money received from the government following her husband’s death.

The victim identified as Jasbir Kaur, 62, was repeatedly hit by her son Satpal Masiah, a labourer following a quarrel on Monday in Shri Hargobindpur areas of Gurdaspur.
Shri Hargobindpur station house officer (SHO), Baljit Kaur, said the accused has been arrested and booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Kaur said Jasbir’s husband, Mangat Ram, was an employee of the state power department who died about one year back. After his death, his wife Jasbir had received money from the power department and was also getting the family pension.

“Jasbir had already given Rs Two lakh each to her four sons from the amount received from the government after her husband’s death. The first death anniversary of her husband was scheduled for 27 July. The mother and son had a quarrel over the money. The accused hit his mother with a stick till she fell down,” the police officer said.

The SHO said “but the son didn’t bother to check Jasbir even as she was lying on the floor.” His wife was also busy planting paddy saplings in the field. No other family member was also available to check Jasbir as was lying on the floor after being hit with the stick. Later when the accused’s wife came back from the field, she found Jasbir dead,” SHO, Kaur, told The Statesman over phone.

She said the son is now repenting the mistake and claiming he had no idea his mother would die after being hit with the stick.

“The mother was staying with Satpal Masiah who is the youngest of the four brothers. Earlier in the day he took her to a doctor for treatment. But later they first had the argument over arrangement for the death anniversary. Jasbir had no daughter and was attached to her maternal aunts. She wanted to give suits to them but the son got angry over it. He argued that Jasbir was giving suits to her relatives but was not giving their father’s money to them. This led to heated arguments between the two and the son hit the mother with a stick leading to her death,” Kaur said. She said Jasbir Kaur was having quarrels with her other sons in the past also over the money she had received after her husband’s death.