Mathura, March 6 A contractor was arrested here for allegedly beating two labourers to death after they demanded their outstanding wages, police said on Friday.
The incident took place in Damodarpura village in the Sadar area, they said.
Superintendent of Police (City) Rajeev Kumar Singh said the accused, Kalyan Singh alias Kalla, had called the two men, Manoj and Hariom, to his place on Wednesday after they demanded their unpaid wages.
Kalyan Singh, who provides labourers for construction work, allegedly assaulted them severely, resulting in Manoj's death on the spot, while Hariom succumbed to his injuries during treatment in Agra, police said.
Tension gripped the village on Thursday after news of the deaths spread, with the relatives of the victims and villagers staging a protest by placing Hariom's body on the road and blocking traffic.
The protesters also clashed with a sub-inspector who had reached the spot to clear the blockade. Police later calmed the crowd, and the road was reopened.