The murder of a 23-year-old man, who was bludgeoned to death at Nuh’s Baisi on the night of September 23, was allegedly the fallout of abusive social media posts shared by two families against each other over an old enmity, police said on Monday.

Abusive Facebook posts, WhatsApp statuses preceded Nuh man’s murder: Police

Police said the victim, who was a neighbour and relative of members of both families, had tried to intervene when a dispute between children of the two families escalated into a brawl. He was allegedly assaulted with rods and sticks.

Inspector Kuldeep Singh, station house officer of Nuh Sadar police station, said the initial investigation indicated that a dispute between children of the two families had escalated into the brawl and murder.

“However, after detailed investigation, it surfaced that abusive Facebook posts and WhatsApp status were being shared by both family against each over old enmity which was the root cause of the tension,” he said.

Police said the children initially fought over a petty issue, following which their parents and other family members joined the confrontation while venting their anger over the abusive posts.

The victim was rushed to Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati government medical college and hospital and later shifted to PGIMS Rohtak due to his critical condition. He died during treatment on September 24.

Police said the victim’s wife and father also sustained injuries while trying to rescue him. At least seven more suspects are yet to be arrested.

Police said weapons allegedly used in the murder, including a stick and an iron rod, were recovered during the investigation.