Balrampur,

5 April (HS): An old man was beaten to death and two others, including a lady,

were hurt in a small argument involving length of water pipe here, police

reported on Sunday. The event occurred on Friday in Pipra Yakub hamlet, near

Shridattganj police station, when a boy named Zuber went to return an

irrigation pipe to his neighbor after watering his land. An altercation sprang

out about the length of the pipe, which quickly escalated. According to Circle

Officer Raghvendra Pratap Singh, some youngsters who were playing cricket

nearby arrived to the scene and reportedly began attacking Zuber. When Zuber's

father, 71-year-old Nizamuddin, heard the disturbance, he hurried to assist but

was beaten with clubs and a cricket bat. He suffered severe injuries and died

on the scene, according to authorities.

Zuber's

sister and another individual who attempted to rescue him were also hurt in the

incident and sent to the hospital. Two suspects have been held for

interrogation, Singh said, adding that the body has been submitted for a

post-mortem and that further action would be taken based on the results. Given

the current tension, an extra police force has been deployed in the area to

preserve peace and order, he added.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi