Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 3 (IANS): Violence erupted at a panchayat convened to settle a marital dispute and two persons died in the firing that ensued.

The incident took place on Thursday in New Basti under Jaswant Nagar police circle.

Three persons have been taken into custody and a licensed firearm has been seized.

The police said that the deceased have been identified as Ram Shankar, 50, and Kailash Yadav, 55.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Etawah Brijesh Kumar Singh said, "There was a dispute between Nitin Yadav and his wife Neha. To resolve the issue, Neha's maternal uncle Ram Shankar and her sister's father-in-law, Kailash Chandra Yadav, along with others had come to her house in New Basti on Thursday."

During the talks, a heated argument took place and Sarvesh Yadav, a retired army man and father of Nitin, opened fire with his licenced rifle.

The police officer said, "The two sides entered into a scuffle and Sarvesh allegedly resorted to indiscriminate firing from his licenced rifle. The injured were rushed to hospital, but one died on the way, while another succumbed to injuries at the hospital."

A case has been registered and further investigations are underway.