New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): A Sub-Inspector of the Delhi police was beaten to death by his neighbour on Sunday in East Delhi after the officer protested against the assailant illegally selling liquor in the area, a police officer said on Monday.

The deceased was going to the hospital with his daughter when the incident occured in Kasturba Nagar area in Vivek Vihar.

According to the police, Sub-Inspector Raj Kumar got into a fight with the accused, Vijay alias Bhuri, an alleged liquor mafia in the area.

The two were separated by another policeman who had reached the spot after receiving a PCR call following the brawl. "We received a call from a person in Vivek Vihar informing us about the incident. An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) reached the spot and separated them, but later we received a call that Kumar was dead," the officer said.

According to the victim's daughter, she was going to the hospital with her father on his scooter when Kumar fainted. She somehow took Kumar to the nearest hospital which then referred him to another hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

"The police have arrested the accused from his residence and have registered a case of murder against him. The body has been sent for postmortem to establish the cause of death," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Meghna Yadav.