Sambalpur, March 11: A 70-year-old man was killed in a clash over a dispute regarding digging up of a deep borewell at Purunabasti area under Jharsuguda police limits late on Saturday night.

The deceased has been identified as Bhima Oram. Another person, Nama Oram, suffered an injury in the clash and was to admitted the district headquarters hospital in Jharsuguda.

“Digging up of a deep borewell had caused the clash between two groups. Two separate cases have been registered in Jharsuguda police station in this connection. The police have also arrested six persons,” said a police officer.

“The deceased was attacked with an axe. Both the groups have lodged separate cases. Three persons each from both the groups have been arrested and produced in court today,” said inspector in charge of the Jharsuguda police station U.S. Maharana.

The arrested persons were identified as Guju Oram, Fagu Oram, Rama Oram, Raju Oram, Manoj Oram and Mahadev Oram.

Late on Saturday night, the Jharsuguda Municipality began the work of digging up a deep borewell on a piece of land at Purunabasti.

However, Bhima and some of his associates reached the spot and asked the persons to stop the digging the borewell there. They said that the place where the deep borewell was being dug up was a private land.

Later, another group led by Raju Oram said that the land belonged to government and that led to an argument between Bhima and Raju. Eventually, both the groups attacked each other with axes and sticks. Bhima and a person from his rival group, Nama, suffered injury in the clash.

Both the injured were rushed to the Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital.

Bhima succumbed to his injury at the hospital yesterday morning.

However, Nama, who suffered an injury in the group clash, has been under treatment in the hospital.