BAREILY: A 55-year-old man was allegedly killed for refusing to change his statement against the accused in his granddaughter's rape case, police said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday in an area under Mirganj police station, they said.

The man, who was a farmer, along with his two sons had gone out to buy medicines when four family members of the rape accused, Surajpal, stopped them, they said.

Mahendra, Rahul, Ramswaroop and Bhagwan Das were carrying guns and threatened the man to change his statement, but he refused, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rajkumar Aggarwal said citing the complaint lodged by the victim's son.

An altercation ensued and one of the two sons of the man was beaten up by Surajpal's relatives when he intervened, the SP said. The sons ran back home to get help while the four accused thrashed the farmer with sticks, killing him on the spot, he said. Later, the villagers found his body lying on the road and informed police, he said.

According to the elder son, Surajpal had raped his niece a year ago and has been in jail since. However, his family members have been pressurising them for a compromise. Inspector Mirganj Sandeep Tyagi said there were injury marks on the man's head and under one of his eyes.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and a murder case has been registered against the four accused, he said.