Jamshedpur: A fight over Rs 150 between a truck driver and a group of labourers on December 27 in Maubhandar, Ghatshila, some 43km from Jamshedpur, led to the trucker dying of his head injuries at the city's Tata Main Hospital in the small hours of Thursday.

Deceased Vishnu Sahu, 28, had transported cement on his truck to the premises of DBL Group, a road construction company engaged in widening the NH-33 in Maubhandar on December 27, when a fight erupted between him and a group of daily wagers who were to unload cement sacks.

Vishnu, originally from Giridih district, told five workers he would pay them Rs 150 each, but they demanded Rs 300, Maubhandar OC S.P. Tiwary said. Things turned ugly when the self-proclaimed leader of workers, one Lalbabu Majhi, 26, told Vishnu no labourer would unload cement if he did not double the rate.

As tempers rose, Majhi caught hold of Vishnu's collar. As Vishnu too picked up a stone to hit Majhi, four labourers caught hold of the trucker while Majhi hit him hard on the head with a small iron rod used to load-unload cement sacks in trucks.

OC Tiwary said they had arrested all five labourers, including Majhi, on December 28, and sent them to Ghatshila sub-jail.