Palakkad : Four persons were arrested by Kozhinjampara Police in connection with the death of a 38-year-old man following a clash over a family dispute at Kalliyambara in Vadakarapathy.
The arrested are R Yesudas Stephen, 43, his brother R Arul Berkmens, 38, R Dinesh, 28, and V Branhan, 39, all natives of Kalliyambara and Pungandhur. There had been disputes between James and his relative J Johny Praveen, 35, according to the police.
A preliminary postmortem report indicated that a head injury was the cause of death, police said. The police said the arrests were based on statements given by James’s children. He was accompanied by his two children. An argument escalated into a clash, during which James allegedly attacked Praveen with the machete. Meanwhile, relatives of Praveen and some locals protested at Kozhinjampara police station, claiming three of the accused had only arrived to help Praveen. The protest was called off after talks with the station house officer. The accused were produced before a local court and remanded in judicial custody.
The deceased, J James Rajkumar, a native of Parisikkal in Vadakarapathy, was allegedly injured during the clash on Sunday night. He died on Monday morning. Around 10pm on Sunday, following a dispute, James allegedly reached Praveen’s house with a machete and a bottle containing chilli water.