Panaji: A former Goa MLA died on Saturday after allegedly being assaulted by an auto driver following an argument in neighbouring Karnataka, an official said.

Police have arrested the accused auto driver in connection with the incident.

Congress leader Lavoo Mamlatdar, 68, was in Belagavi, around 120 km from Panaji, on a business trip when the altercation occurred. Before entering politics in 2012, Mamlatdar served as a deputy superintendent of police in Goa.

According to a senior Karnataka police official, Mamlatdar and the auto driver had an argument after an accident, during which the driver struck Mamlatdar multiple times. CCTV footage from the scene confirmed the assault.

Following the attack, Mamlatdar collapsed on a staircase at a hotel. "He was taken to a government hospital but was declared dead before admission," the official said.

Belagavi police have taken the auto driver into custody.

Mamlatdar served as a member of the Goa Legislative Assembly from 2012 to 2017, representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). He joined the Congress in 2022 and unsuccessfully contested the Goa elections that year from Madkai constituency.