Three men have been jailed for their roles in a pre-planned machete and gun fight at a Kabaddi tournament in Derby, the United Kingdom, that a judge said set the scene for the brutal killing of a delivery driver just 24 hours later.
As per Daily Mail, the violence erupted in front of hundreds of families at an international Kabaddi event in Alvaston in August 2023, when rival groups armed with blades and firearms clashed in what police and the court described as organised mass disorder.
It is further reported that officers were called after reports of shots being fired, with footage later likened to a “medieval battle”.
At Derby Crown Court, a jury convicted Boota Singh, 35, Damanjit Singh, 35, and Rajvinder Takhar Singh, 42, of violent disorder and weapons offences following a trial last month. Seven other men had already been jailed after an earlier trial concluded in 2024.
Boota Singh, a father of two from Derby, received a total sentence of four years after admitting possession of an offensive weapon and being found guilty of violent disorder. Although unarmed during the melee, police later stopped his car and recovered two machetes from the boot.
Damanjit Singh, of Tipton, was sentenced in his absence to a combined term of three years and four months for violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. Rajvinder Takhar Singh, of Huddersfield, was jailed for three years and 10 months after being convicted of violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon.
Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Bennett said the clash involved around 40 men and at least six firearms, leaving four people needing hospital treatment. “This was undoubted planned violence,” he said, adding that it was “only due to good fortune that no fatalities occurred” at the tournament itself.
The judge noted that many participants had travelled long distances and brought weapons to a family sporting event, describing a “conspiracy of silence” over the cause of the disorder. One defendant in an earlier case had told police the violence related to “izzat” — honour.
Prosecutor Claire Fraser told the court the three men were “active participants” who attended a pre-arranged meeting at a community centre before the tournament. She said Boota Singh played a leading role, confronting rivals at the venue and later disposing of weapons and clothing, while Rajvinder Takhar Singh was “front and centre” of the violence. Damanjit Singh was said to have concealed his face and carried a blade throughout.
Detective Inspector Chris Barker of Derbyshire Police said the men had deliberately armed themselves at what should have been a safe, family-friendly event, turning it into “huge violent disorder” that left many fearing for their safety.
The court heard the Derby brawl was one of several flashpoints in a long-running feud that culminated the following day in the killing of 23-year-old DPD driver Aurman Singh in Shrewsbury. Aurman, who lived in Smethwick, was hunted down by a group armed with an axe, knives and other weapons and ambushed near Coton Hill, where he died at the scene.
Several men linked to that attack have since been convicted of murder and jailed for life with minimum terms of 28 years, while another was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years.
Judge Bennett said immigration consequences could also follow for Damanjit Singh, who is in the UK on leave to remain, noting the matter would ultimately rest with the Home Secretary.
Police said the Kabaddi tournament violence and the subsequent killing showed how rapidly organised disorder can escalate into fatal consequences.
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