Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 2 (IANS): A history-sheeter was killed by two men, including a temple priest, in the state capital city, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred at a lodge in city outskirts on Wednesday night.

According to police, a group of four people which included Manichen, who is an accused in a few criminal cases and three others, booked a room in a lodge and started drinking.

Soon, an argument broke out between the four over a song which snowballed into a fight and Manichen was hit on the head by two of them.

Manichen's friend Harikumar also was injured in the incident.

While Dipak and Arun managed to slip out of the hospital, they were taken custody later.

Manichen breathed his last in the wee hours of Thursday, while Harikumar is undergoing treatment at a hospital, here.

The hotel room, with blood all over the floor and walls, has been taken over by local police.

Meanwhile, the police are probing the antecedents of the arrested two, one of whom is a local temple priest, As per reports, the four were part of a gang which later split.

Following the split, Wednesday's drinking session was believed to be a patch-up meeting, but it ended in Manichen's murder.