A youth was beaten to death allegedly by one of his neighbours yesterday at Purbopar Dighuli village in Sadar upazila while trying to settle a land dispute between two rival neighbours.

The deceased, Babar Ali Babu, 35, son of late Ajaffar Ali of the village, was organising secretary of Ward No 7 unit of BNP in Digpait  union under the upazila.

Villagers said there had been a longstanding rivalry between Kazem Ali, 60, of the village, and his neighbour Mafiz Uddin Moyez, 70, over the ownership of a disputed land.

As a sequel, Moyez built an earthen road on the disputed land a year ago but claiming the ownership of the land Kazem and his family members often blocked the road.

In a bid to settle the matter, some villagers led by Babu went to the road site around 8:30am yesterday but Kazem locked in an altercation with Babu saying it was none of his business.

Quoting witnesses, Sub-Inspector of Narayanpur Police Investigation Centre Joynal Abedin said, at one stage, Kazem's son Nazrul Islam, 28, hit Babu on the head with a stick, leaving him critically injured.

Villagers took Babu to Jamalpur General Hospital from where he was referred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, but he died on way to the hospital, he said.

Police detained Kazem and his elder son Julmat Ali, 35, for their alleged involvement in the murder, the SI added.