A North Ossetian resident has become the subject of a criminal case over a land dispute.

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Security officials in North Ossetia have opened a criminal case against Bekkhan Tsurov, an Ingush man. According to his relatives, the incident stemmed from a land dispute that escalated into a brawl, and they believe they are attempting to turn a domestic conflict into an interethnic one.

A criminal case has been opened in North Ossetia against Bekkhan Tsurov, an Ingush resident of the village of Balta. According to the man's relatives, the incident was sparked by a conflict between Ingush and Ossetian families over a plot of land.

According to relatives, an incident occurred on January 3rd on a plot of land on Internatsionalnaya Street belonging to Tsurov's sister. The house, which previously belonged to their grandfather, was destroyed in 1992. The family left Balta but returned in 1999, where they have lived ever since, according to the Fortanga Telegram channel on January 24th.

According to the channel's source, the sister asked Bekkhan Tsurov and his brother Tamerlan to clear the yard for construction. It is clarified that all the documents for the plot are available. During the clearing work, a local Ossetian resident with his wife and daughter arrived at the plot. They announced that they had purchased the plot and demanded that the work be stopped. A fight broke out, and it escalated to the use of a bladed weapon. After this, security forces arrived at the station.

According to a source, a local resident filed a complaint about a death threat against his wife and daughter.

Following the conflict, Tsurov was taken to the hospital by ambulance; he suffered a bruise on his forehead and lower jaw. The court, according to the defense, refused to review the doctors' reports. The defense believes that the court "deliberately avoided evaluating the evidence presented in the case; moreover, the court, in violation of Russian law, effectively refused to review the documents," the publication states.

During their arrest, security forces towed away the special equipment the brothers were using without issuing documents for its confiscation or arrest. Following the conflict, Tsurov served 12 days of administrative arrest, and Tamerlan eight days. Criminal cases were then opened against Bekhan under charges of threatening to kill, abuse of power, and hooliganism. He is currently under house arrest for two months.

Tsurov's relatives were also outraged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs press release, which listed him as "a resident of one of the neighboring republics," even though he was born in Vladikavkaz and permanently resides in Balta.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of North Ossetia reported the incident on January 17 on its Telegram channel. According to the agency, a criminal case has been opened against a man born in 1985, a resident of one of the neighboring republics, under Articles 119 (threat of murder or grievous bodily harm), Part 2 of Article 213 (hooliganism with the use of objects used as weapons), and Part 3 of Article 330 (arbitrariness committed with the use of violence or the threat of its use).

The agency reports that during the conflict, the defendant, "acting aggressively and displaying objects resembling bladed weapons, made threats of murder and grievous bodily harm against the woman and her daughter." It is stated that the conflict was caused by disagreements related to work being carried out on a land plot.

The victim, "given the nature of the man's behavior and the content of the threats made," contacted the police, who stopped the conflict.