Cooking dispute turns deadly as man kills cousin with LPG cylinder amid nationwide gas shortage

Amid a nation-wide shortage of gas cylinders a murder case has been reported from Pune’s Kudale Vasti where a 31-year old was killed by his cousin using a LPG cylinder, TOI reports. The murder took place in a construction workers' colony of a project on Monday night and the police have arrested the accused.

The victim has been identified as Balaji Khandade(29) and the alleged attacker as Pradeep Gundare by the MIDC police. Khundade reportedly belongs to Nanded district and Gundare of Moshi originally hails from Latur district. The police have charged Gundare under Section 103(murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS).

Pune police told TOI that the men were distant relatives and were working at a construction site. Khandade was staying at the workers' construction colony.


“Khandade and Gundare entered into a dispute over cooking dinner around 11.30pm on Monday. Gundare picked up the cylinder and bludgeoned Khandade,” the officer told TOI.

The officer said the victim suffered serious injuries in the attack and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries. “We arrested the accused, who fled from the spot. Our investigation is going on,” the officer added.

Gas cylinder shortage

The escalating conflict involving Iran, the US, and Israel is now affecting India’s LPG supply chain. Although households are still receiving cylinders within five to seven days—largely because the Centre has given priority to domestic consumers—the situation is far worse for commercial users. Hotel and restaurant associations across several states report severe shortages, with many eateries temporarily shutting down and others likely to follow.

The pressure is also becoming visible for household consumers. Long queues have formed outside LPG godowns and distribution agencies, and the price of a cylinder has reportedly surged to as high as Rs 3,000 on the black market, according to India Today Digital.

On Wednesday, government officials cautioned that panic bookings and hoarding are largely driven by misinformation. They urged people to stay calm and refrain from spreading false reports about LPG shortages. Officials also stated that India’s domestic LPG production has been increased by 25% after government directives to boost output, according to a joint briefing by the Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ministry of Petroleum.