A man on Saturday was allegedly burnt alive by tea garden workers in Assam’s Dibrugarh district after he killed a five-year-old boy, the police said, according to PTI.

The lynching took place in Dholajan Tea Estate under the Rohmoria police station in upper Assam, NorthEast Now reported. The 35-year-old man was identified as Sunit Tanti.

Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra said that he has started an inquiry into the murder and the lynching.

“The minor along with other small kids playing in the compound of Sunit Tanti on Saturday, suddenly he got angry and killed the minor by slitting his throat,” he said. “We have sent the bodies for postmortem.”

The police claimed that Tanti was mentally unstable.

After finding out about the attack, the residents caught hold of Tanti and set him on fire, an unidentified police officer said, according to NorthEast Now. “The locals of Dholajan tea garden after knowing the incident chased Sunit Tanti for at least half a kilometre and burnt him alive,” the officer said.

However, Mishra said that the situation was under control. No arrests have been made so far.