Tension gripped Mathura in Uttar Pradesh after a group of 15 men armed with pistols, iron rods and lathis fatally injured a shopkeeper after he refused to give them lassi for free.
The group of men from another community came to the shop of Bharat Yadav and his brother to drink lassi. Soon an altercation ensued between them when the group refused to pay. Later, the men went away only to return armed.
After eight days of treatment, Bharat succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
As news of Bharat's death spread, shopkeepers pulled down their shutters and came out on the streets to demand immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
Police registered an FIR and rushed to the spot in large numbers to thwart any untoward incident.
Mohammad Hanif, Mohammad Shahrukh and 15 others have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The body of the deceased has been sent for autopsy, the Senior Superintendent of Police (Mathura) Satyarth Anniruddh said, adding the situation was under control. The police will be taking action on the basis of further investigation, he said.