A couple was arrested in Bihar's Khagaria district on Tuesday on the charge of beating their son to death over a family dispute, a police officer said. The deceased, Arbind Kumar Chaurasia, 28, was allegedly caned to death by his parents at Maheskhunt village in Gogri sub-division of the district on Monday night, following an altercation, he said.

"Chaurasia, who had deserted his wife, would regularly engage in fights with his parents over the matter. He was also having an extra-marital affair," Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) P K Jha said. On Monday, too, he had a fight with the parents, following which he was beaten to death, he noted. An FIR has been lodged in the case at Maheshkhunt police station and an investigation is underway, Jha said, adding that Chaurasia's body has been sent to Khagaria Sadar Hospital for postmortem.

In another incident, a journalist of a Ranchi-based Hindi daily who had been facing threats was beaten to death in Jharkhand's Chatra district, authorities said on Tuesday. Chandan Tiwary, who worked for the "Aaj", was abducted from Pathhalgada, the police said.