Jaipur, April 28 -- At least 23 houses were torched after clashes erupted between two tribal communities after a 36-year-old man was hacked to death in Banswara district on Sunday evening, police said on Monday. According to deputy superintendent of police at Ghatol circle, Mahendra Kumar, the victim was identified as Govind Chhagan, who hailed from the Mahida tribal community and lived in Tamatia village. He was attacked by a group of 7 to 8 men from a family belonging to the Katara community armed with axes while he was walking home. He sustained serious injuries to his neck and died on the spot, added the DSP. After locals informed police of the incident, a team cordoned off the spot and began forensic enquiries, said Kumar. However, tensions intensified after a group of at least 400 to 500 people from the Mahida community, including the victim's family members, gathered in the village and launched an attack at villagers from the Katara community. "Anticipating an unwanted situation, a separate police team was sent to the area, but they were barred from entering the village. By the time police managed to reach the spot, the mob had set around 23 houses ablaze along with some two-wheelers. Both groups also started pelting stones at each other," said Ramesh Chandra Patidar, station house officer at Mota Gaon police station. "Police had to use a mild degree of force to disperse the crowd, and fire brigade services were called," said Patidar, adding that the clashes resulted in a few people and police personnel sustaining minor injuries. "All residents were evacuated safely. However, it took till Monday morning to douse the flames," he added. Police said people from both communities staged a sit-in over the incident at the police station on Monday, which again spurred additional police deployment. However, no violent clashes were reported. Meanwhile, investigators probing Chhagan's murder said preliminary enquiries suggested that the killing stemmed from a longstanding family dispute. "Chhagan's sister had a relationship with a man from the accused's family but Chhagan and his family did not approve of it. They also married her off to another man a year ago. Since this incident, a rivalry began between the familie, which spurred at least three other public brawls involving property damage in the last year, for which cases were registered against people from both families," said the DCP. Investigators added that Chhagan had testified against a few members of the Katara family in connection to one of the older cases earlier on Sunday, and was returning from the courtroom when the murder took place. "District police superintendent Sudheer Joshi has formed a special team to nab those who murdered Chhagan. Prima facie, the entire family of the accused seem to have abandoned their house and left the village on Sunday after the murder. Police are looking for them," said Patidar, adding that the situation in the village was brought under control after senior police officers reached the spot and held a dialogue with the villages. "Chhagan's body was also sent for an autopsy," he added....