The victim, Ramesh Nigam, 72, was one of the four accused in the twin murders of Mahesh Nigam and his son, Prakash. On Monday, Mahesh’s wife, Shivrani, and her daughter-in-law, Hemlata, beat up the old man with chappals. Television footage showed them kicking him even after he had slumped to the ground.

Ramesh and the family members of his slain younger brother had come to Ujjain in connection with their land dispute. As the group came out of the court, Shivrani, aged around 60, held Ramesh by the collar and was joined by Hemlata, 30. She told the crowd that he was her brother-in-law and was using his clout as former patwari to usurp their land.

Inspector K K Upadhyaya of Madhavnagar Police Station said Ramesh, his wife and two sons had allegedly killed Mahesh and Prakash on March 18, 2011. While Ramesh and his wife were out on bail, their two sons are still at large and carry a cash reward of Rs 2,000 each on their heads.