Jaunpur/IBNS: In a brutal incident of murder, a teenager's head was chopped off by a few men on Wednesday as a result of a four-decade-old land dispute between two sides in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur, media reports said.

The wailing mother of the 17-year-old boy sat with the severed head in her lap for hours, villagers told the media.

According to police, the two parties were engaged in a decades-old tussle over land in Kabiruddin village under the Gaurabadshahpur police station. Things turned violent on Wednesday when they clashed.

Few men chased Anurag, 17, son of Ramjeet Yadav with one of them wielding a sword.

When they caught hold of the teenage boy, they attacked him with the sword which was swung with such force that the teenager's head was separated from the torso.

Two people have been taken into custody but the sword-bearer is on the run and officials said efforts are on to trace him.

Several police teams were rushed to the spot in order to take control of the law and order situation and prevent it from deteriorating.

Jaunpur District Magistrate Dinesh Chandra said those responsible for the crime would receive the "harshest possible punishment."