An argument between two neighbours over who would gain first access to a roadside tap has ended in the death of one. The other is absconding.

Santosh Rafuria, 26, resident of New Alipore, died on the spot after Mohammad Sirajuddin, 28, punched him in his abdomen around 6 am on Sunday. When the police reached the spot, Sirajuddin had taken to his heels. His father and one of his friends have been detained.

Anuj Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (south division), said: “Santosh had gone to the tap, barely 10 metres from his home, to wash his face. There, he found Sirajuddin washing his clothes.”

Santosh asked Sirajuddin to step off the concrete slab and make room for him. “Let me finish my chore first,” was Sirajuddin’s reply.

Santosh was in no mood to budge. “Remove your clothes from under the tap immediately and let me wash my face. I will take just a moment,” he shouted.

But he was ignored again.

“An angry Santosh then stepped on the pile of clothes in an effort to get near the tap. “That was reason enough for Sirajuddin to teach him a lesson,” said an officer of New Alipore police station.

Sirajuddin stood up and challenged Santosh, demanding an explanation as to why he had dirtied the clothes he had washed. “Besh korechi. Sor, ami mukh dhobo (I don’t regret what I have done. Move aside, I want to wash my face),” Santosh replied.

Sirajuddin could take no more. He mustered all his strength and punched Santosh in his abdomen.

“One blow was enough to fell a well-built youth like Santosh. He slumped to the ground and was still. Local residents checked his pulse and realised he was dead. The death was confirmed by doctors at a nearby hospital,” a police officer said.

“By the time the crowd realised that Santosh was dead, Sirajuddin had fled from the scene. We were informed only after that,” he added.

The police have interrogated a host of eyewitnesses.