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Updated: Oct 04, 2019 04:25 IST

A one-and-a-half-year-old boy was allegedly killed during a brawl between two families in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district that started over open defecation, police said on Thursday.

Ram Singh, 45, and his son Umesh Singh, 21, were arrested on the charge of murder, police said. Kanjiya police station in-charge Arvind Singh said a fight started between the accused Ram Singh and his neighbour Mohar Singh of village Bagaspur over the latter protesting against the former’s minor grandson defecating in the open on Tuesday morning.

“Same day in the evening Ram Singh and his son Umesh attacked Mohar Singh with a cane and also thrashed his minor son,” SHO said. “In an injured condition, Mohar Singh took his son to a hospital where a doctor declared him brought dead.”

Next morning, Mohar Singh lodged a complaint with the Kanjiya police, which booked Ram Singh and his son for murder and attempt to murder. The accused were arrested on Thursday, police said.

Sagar superintendent of police Amit Sanghi, said, “Police are investigating as both the accused and the victim are from a tribal community and villagers told us that the two families were not on cordial terms. The fight started because of open defecation.”

Confirming the SP’s version, a resident of Bagaspur village, Kallu Adiwasi, 32, said the two families had not assaulted each other before.

“On Tuesday, Mohar Singh scolded Ram Singh’s grandson for defecating in the open. Later, Ram Singh and his son Umesh fought with Mohar Singh saying that the boy had come out of their home for nature’s call, as the toilet at their home was occupied. Later in the evening, Ram Singh and his son brutally assaulted Mohar Singh and his son,” Adiwasi said.