Bareilly: A 45-year-old farmer was allegedly beaten to death over an old land dispute in Fatehgaj area here, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night when Ahilkar, a resident of village Vandiya Khurd, was on his way to deliver food to his son at a field, said Fatehganj police station in-charge Inspector Santosh Kumar.

At that time, some villagers stopped Ahilkar, hurled abuses at him and allegedly beat him with sticks before attacking him with sharp weapons, Kumar said.

The farmer was taken to Faridpur Community Health Centre and given first aid, Kumar said. He was later referred to a private hospital in Bareilly city, where he died during treatment. The inspector added that the body has been sent for a post-mortem.

According to the police, the incident stemmed from an old land dispute.

Based on a complaint from the deceased’s relatives, a case has been registered against four individuals and an investigation is ongoing.