Coimbatore, Mar 20 () Days after a Dalit youth was brutally hacked to death in a suspected case of honour killing in Tirupur district, the body of 45-year-old Dalit leader was found floating in a well in Chellampalayam in the district today, police said.

They said an upper caste person had reportedly "abused" a 19-year old Dalit boy by his caste name when he was at the premises of a temple in Thingalur in Erode district yesterday.

Chinnasamy, leader of an outfit named 'Dalit Viduthalai Katchi' objected to this, police said.

Chinnasamy's body was found floating in a well in Chellampalayam this morning and was brought to the Government Hospital for post-mortem.

Tension prevailed at the hospital when activists of various organisations fighting for the cause of Dalits and human rights gathered after Chinnasamy's family members refused to allow post-mortem, seeking a fair probe into the incident, which they claimed was mysterious, police said.

However, the protesters dispersed after senior district and police officials assured them that necessary steps would be taken.

On March 13, Shankar (22) and Kausalya (19), whose inter-caste marriage was opposed by their families, were attacked by a bike-borne gang with sickles in full public view in nearby Tirupur district, resulting in the death of Shankar.

Kausalya is presently undergoing treatment at the government hospital here under police protection.