TIRUNELVELI: A long-standing dispute over a piece of land, used for parking by one of the parties, ended in the deaths of a 76-year-old petrol pump owner and his 78-year-old elder brother, who were allegedly stabbed by a 44-year-old welder following an altercation in Nellai on Wednesday.

The accused, Senthilkumar (44), who works as a welder in Chennai, also sustained stab injuries and is undergoing treatment at the Palayamkottai Government Hospital.

The deceased were identified as Dalton (76), a resident of Manipuram near Nellai Town, and his elder brother Nicholas Rajarathinam (78). Dalton owned a petrol pump in the area.

According to the source, the hostility between Senthilkumar and Dalton's family was not new. Senthilkumar's family owns land near Dalton's house, and there had been a long-standing dispute between the two families over Dalton's family parking cars on the vacant land surrounding the temple. The parking issue had been a source of friction between the families for some time.

The simmering dispute came to a head on Tuesday morning when Senthilkumar was leaving his house on a motorcycle. At that time, Dalton's son Narendra (27) was taking his car parked in the area.

An argument broke out between Narendra and Senthilkumar, which escalated into an assault.

Nicholas Rajarathinam attempted to intervene. Senthilkumar allegedly took out a knife he was carrying and stabbed Nicholas.

Dalton, who tried to stop Senthilkumar, was also allegedly stabbed repeatedly. Both brothers collapsed.

Dalton's other son Naveen (29) then attempted to wrest the knife from Senthilkumar. The scuffle resulted in Naveen and Senthilkumar suffering injuries.

The three injured men were immediately taken to a private hospital by Dalton's family, where Nicholas died.

Dalton, who was subsequently shifted to the Palayamkottai GH, also died. Naveen was undergoing treatment in the hospital. Senthilkumar is also being treated at Palayamkottai GH.

Nellai City Police Commissioner Deshmukh Shekhar Sanjay and Deputy Commissioner Saravanan, among other officials, visited the spot of the crime. Police personnel were deployed in the area as a precaution.

Nellai Junction police registered a case and examined CCTV footage from the street.

As Senthilkumar and Naveen are undergoing treatment at the same hospital, police have also been deployed there to prevent any untoward incident. Police personnel led by Medical College Hospital Inspector Alagar are providing security at the hospital.

The incident has caused tension in the area.