Agartala, Sep 2 - A government employee succumbed to injuries after he was beaten by a former militant in a dispute over a mobile phone in Tripura, officials said Wednesday.

'A former militant, Jugal Debbarma, 26, severely beat 27-year-old Sukhubasi Debbarma, an employee of the state power department in Takarjala in west Tripura Sunday,' a police spokesman said.

'Sukhubasi Debbarma was first taken to Gobinda Ballav Pant Medical College and Hospital here and then to Kolkata, where he succumbed to his injuries late Tuesday night,' he added.

The spokesman said the two tribal men fought after Jugal Debbarma accused Sukhubasi Debbarma of misusing his cellphone.

Jugal Debbarma, a former member of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) who surrendered to the police last year, is now absconding, police said.