An elderly man died after he was allegedly beaten by a group of youths in Faridpur’s Saltha upazila following a dispute over picking litchis from his tree.

The victim, Azizur Rahman Mollah, 65, was from Fulbari village, Md Bablur Rahman Khan, officer-in-charge of Saltha Police Station said .

Quoting locals, police said the dispute began around 4:30pm yesterday in the Fulbari Bazar area when when two youths allegedly picked litchis from Azizur’s tree without permission. An argument broke out after Azizur’s son, Akram Mollah, protested.

Later, several youths allegedly assaulted Akram at the market.

Witnesses said Azizur rushed to the scene after hearing about the attack and questioned those involved.

The confrontation later escalated, and Azizur was allegedly attacked with sticks and batons by a group of assailants. He was taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead while he was undergoing treatment.

A video of the assault, which later circulated on Facebook, appeared to show a group of agitated youths beating Azizur in the crowded marketplace as bystanders shouted and tried to intervene, but to no avail.

OC Bablur Rahman said those involved had been identified, and efforts were under way to arrest them.

He also said preparations were under way for the victim’s family to file a murder case.