The Badaun ‘Farmhouse’ Murder: Blood in the Tubewell Room

Townhall Times, New Delhi

Reporter: Bhavika Kalra

By: Regional Crime Desk | Badaun, Uttar Pradesh

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Badaun’s Bilsi area woke up to a nightmare this morning. Surendra Singh, a 65-year-old who spent the last 25 years guarding a local farmhouse, didn’t make it to his morning tea. He was found brutally murdered inside the very room he was supposed to be safe in.

Here is the unfiltered, ground-level breakdown of the investigation.

1. The Discovery: 7:00 AM, Kachhla-Shahbad Highway

The farmhouse owner, Naresh Kumar Maheshwari, arrived at his field near the state highway early this morning to collect milk from his cattle.

The Locked Door: Naresh found the door to the tubewell chamber (kothri) locked from the outside. When shouts went unanswered, he looked through a gap in the door.
The Scene: Surendra Singh’s body was lying in a massive pool of blood on the floor. He had been bludgeoned to death, likely with a heavy object or a blow to the head while he was resting.

2. Who Was Surendra Singh?

This wasn’t just a “watchman”; he was a fixture of the community.

Background: A resident of Aliganj (Mujariya area), Surendra had no immediate family left with him. His only son passed away a decade ago, and his two daughters are married and live elsewhere.
The Job: He had been a loyal employee at this farmhouse for nearly a quarter of a century. Villagers described him as a quiet, hardworking man who essentially lived at the tubewell chamber.

3. The Forensic Trail: What the Police Found

SP (City) and the Forensic Team reached the spot within the hour.

The Weapon: While the exact weapon hasn’t been recovered, the injuries suggest a “blunt force” attack to the skull.
No Robbery? Initial signs don’t point to a standard theft. The cattle and most farmhouse equipment were untouched, suggesting the motive might be personal enmity or a targeted attack rather than a quick grab for cash.
The BNS Angle: The case has been registered under Section 103 (Murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the new criminal code.

The Status of the Investigation

Entity	Action Taken
Bilsi Police	Sealed the farmhouse, recording statements from Naresh Maheshwari and neighbors.
Forensic Team	Collected blood samples and fingerprints from the tubewell room.
Post-Mortem	Body shifted to Badaun district morgue; report expected by Wednesday morning.
Villagers	Currently protesting the lack of night patrolling on the Kachhla-Shahbad stretch.

The Bottom Line

Badaun has been on edge lately—this is the second major incident involving security guards this year (after the three deaths in a mentha factory in January). The police are currently scanning mobile tower data from the area to see who was active near the farmhouse between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM.