A 35-year-old man was stabbed to death by a 23-year-old man following a quarrel allegedly over social distancing to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Police officials identified the deceased as R. Jothimani, 35, a resident of Nondimedu in Udhagamandalam. Jothimani, who was married and had two children, worked at the Ooty Municipal Market loading and unloading vegetables from trucks.
On Tuesday afternoon, he had come to have tea at a stall located just behind the market complex.
People who were at the tea stall, including the owner of the store, said Jothimani had asked N. Devdas, 23, a resident of Palakkad, to maintain safe distance from him as he was fearful of the spread of COVID-19, leading to a quarrel between the two.
When Jothimani tried to slap Devdas, he picked up a knife from the shop and stabbed Jothimani.
Jothimani died on the spot. The entire incident happened on a busy road in the heart of the town. A huge crowd gathered around the tea stall.
Police rushed to the spot and arrested Devdas. A case of murder has been registered.
Nilgiris District Superintendent of Police V. Sasi Mohan said the reason for the quarrel was unclear.
“Preliminary inquiry indicates that Jothimani had taken offence to Devdas standing too close to him at the tea shop resulting in the quarrel,” Mr. Sasi Mohan said.
