The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) will charge a 21-year-old man with voluntary manslaughter after he allegedly beat his 50-year-old father to death in Tsirang.
Under the Penal Code of Bhutan, voluntary manslaughter is defined as causing death without premeditated malice, including in circumstances of sudden provocation that could drive a reasonable person to act, or where there is intent to cause serious bodily harm resulting in death. The offence is classified as a second-degree felony, carrying a prison sentence of between nine and less than 15 years.
The incident occurred on 12th April 2026, at around 11:30 pm in Riserbo chiwog, Mendrelgang, Tsirang.
According to police, the case was reported by the son himself after he found his father unresponsive the following morning.
Statements collected from the mother and the son contain some contradictions.
The mother said the son returned home intoxicated, banged on the door, and began arguing with them. She stated that the father struck the son with firewood, after which the son fled. Fearing he might return and start a fight, she asked her husband to hide, and he took shelter in nearby bamboo trees. The mother then fled the house in fear.
In contrast, the son claimed he found his parents arguing upon returning home and tried to intervene, after which his father struck him with firewood.
Police said several stones were recovered at the scene and are believed to have been thrown by the son during the incident.
Investigators suspect that the son later attacked his father with stones before fleeing and hiding in a nearby forest. He told police he was unaware his father had died during the night.
The following morning, at around 7:30 am, he returned to the scene after hearing people nearby and found his father covered in blood and unresponsive. He attempted CPR but was unsuccessful.
He then reported the incident by dialling 113 and confessed, according to police.
Police said further investigation into the conflicting statements will continue in the coming days, as the family is currently in a mourning period.
The family lived in relative isolation, with the nearest neighbor located about 100 metres away in Riserbo chiwog, Mendrelgang, Tsirang.
The immediate cause of death was determined to be a skull fracture caused by the impact of stones.
