A man was killed when proceedings at a salishi sabha spiralled out of control at a village in Farakka, Murshidabad district, on Thursday night.

A clash among two rival groups over extorting "penalty money" from a family which negotiated the marriage of one of its members without prior "approval" of the "court committee" led to the death of Asikul Sheikh, 34, a member of the so-called court committee.

Asikul, who demanded the "penalty" from the family, was stabbed several times during the reconciliatory proceedings held at Tofapur village.

Asikul, who was rushed to Arjunpur rural hospital in a critical condition, succumbed to his wounds.

Police have started a murder case against the family members comprising Abdul Rakib and others. Till Friday evening, no one was arrested.

Local sources said that for a long time, the salishi sabha "committee" imposed a rule in the village mandating prior "approval" for the marriage of any resident.

"According to the decision adopted by our committee, if any person gets married without its prior approval, he must shell out ₹5,000, which is used for village welfare," said villager Jamirul Islam.

Trouble broke out after prime accused Abdul's son got married without informing the committee. The family was summoned to the meeting on Thursday night by the committee to settle the "penalty".

But, Abdul refused to pay up, which led to a scuffle as court members assaulted him for violating the "rule", sources said. Allegedly, Abdul fatally attacked Asikul, one of the most vocal "court" members, with a dagger.

Jangipur police district SP Ananda Roy said: "We have initiated a murder case. The accused have absconded."