A 51-year-old painter was murdered allegedly by the son of his landlord in Jalpaiguri on Wednesday night.

Sources said Ashok Majhi, the victim, used to stay with his wife Laxmi as tenants at the house of Chittaranjan Das at Gomostapara in Jalpaiguri.

The police have recovered his body and arrested the accused. Investigations have started.

The sources said the couple would often quarrel among themselves and on a number of occasions, Chittaranjan used to mediate and dissuade them from getting into altercation.

“Yesterday, they were apparently quarrelling again, much to the inconvenience of three other families who stay as tenants in the same house. As Chittaranjan went to intervene Ashok got furious and he reportedly shoved Chittaranjan who fell on the ground and got injured. The attack made Alok, Chittaranjan’s younger son, retort. He and some others then attacked Ashok and his wife,” said a source.

Sampa, the victim’s daughter, said: “Alok’s associates assaulted my parents and he attacked my father with a sharp weapon. I reached there with my husband to save them but we were also assaulted.”

Later, Ashok was declared brought dead at a hospital.