New Delhi, Aug 13 - A 69-year-old retired officer of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd was stabbed to death allegedly by three men after a minor argument in a running bus in east Delhi Thursday afternoon, police said.

An altercation broke out between the three men and V.N. Sehgal after he objected to their standing on a foot-board of the bus.

Sehgal bled to death from stab injuries on the left thigh while being rushed to the Lal Bahahdur Hospital, police said.

Sehgal, who lived with his wife Kanta in Pandav Nagar area, had boarded the mini bus, plying between Lakshmi Nagar and Mayur Vihar around 12.30 p.m.

'The three men were standing on the foot-board of the bus. And when Sehgal objected, a heated argument broke out between them. The accused then attacked Sehgal with a knife,' said a police officer who is investigating the matter.

Two of the accused - Mahesh and Tajpal, both in their early 20s - have been arrested after the bus driver identified them.

'Mahesh is also accused in an another murder case. We are now searching for their third accomplice,' the officer added.