Man beaten to death over water dispute

TRICHY

: A 33-year-old activist who also operated an overhead tank was beaten to death by four members of a family in

Thanjavur

on Wednesday evening, allegedly after he objected to their drawing water in big plastic barrels from a public tap. Police have arrested one of the accused and are investigating.

The deceased has been identified as D Anand Babu, a resident of Vilar South colony near Thanjavur. Kumar, 48, a resident of the area, and his three sons were filling water in plastic barrels from a tap connected to a pipe from a nearby overhead tank. On seeing this, Anand asked him whether it was right to collect such a huge quantity of water for his family when there was

water scarcity

.

The conversation soon got out of control and in a fit of rage, Kumar and his sons beat up Anand Babu. Babu’s father, Dharmaraj (67) rushed to his rescue but the four of them turned on him too. Anand Babu succumbed to his injuries on Thursday; his father is still undergoing treatment.

Police arrested Kumar’s 18-year-old son and, have registered a case.