A 20-year-old youth from Assam was beaten to death with an iron rod by his friend on Monday night following a drunken brawl.

Rahim Khan, a guard at a developing plot at Periyanaickenpalayam, and Swapan Sarkar, 22, of Manipur, were staying with Musthafa in a temporary shed at their workplace in Periyanaickenpalayam.

A few days ago, Sarkar had a quarrel with Khan over the taste of the food cooked by the later, following which Sarkar parted ways with Khan and stayed alone in another shed nearby.

Meanwhile, the two quarrelled on Monday night over who should take the night shift, according to police.

Sarkar claimed that it was Khan’s turn to do the night shift, but the latter refuted this. An argument between them escalated into a physical fight. “In a fit of fury, Sarkar took a iron rod and hit Khan hard on the head with it,” police said.

Khan, who suffered serious injuries on his head, was rushed to Coimbatore Medical College & Hospital. But doctors declared him brought dead.

Periyanickenpalayam police rushed to the scene and held inquiries.