Patna/Jamui: Two persons, including a mukhiya and a JDU block president, were arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of RTI activist Valmiki Yadav, 35, and his friend Dharmendra Yadav alias Karu Yadav, 30, in Jamui district on Sunday evening.

The two were waylaid and shot near Bichhwe Mor under Sikandara police station in Jamui, around 170km southeast of Patna. While Valmiki died on the spot, Dharmendra succumbed to injuries while being taken to a hospital.

"Krishna Ravidas, who is the mukhiya of Bichhwe panchayat, and Suresh Mahto have been arrested in connection with the murders. The incident is fallout of RTI applications that had hit various projects in the panchayat. An angle of personal enmity was also involved in the murders," Jamui sub-divisional police officer Ram Pukar Singh said.

The SDPO said the RTI activist and the mukhiya were friends earlier but fell out. "In fact, it was Valmiki who encouraged Krishna, who resided in Jamui, to contest the post of mukhiya from Bichhwe," Ram Pukar said. "But he later started creating hurdles in various panchayat projects by complaining and filing RTI applications about quality. He had also questioned appointment of Anganwadi sevikas and had become an obstacle to money making by the mukhiya."

Police sources said Suresh is the chief of the JDU's Sikandara block in Jamui district and was closely associated with the party. They also said wives of the RTI activist and the mukhiya were contenders for the Anganwadi sevika post.

Jamui SP Jagunathreddy Jalareddy had earlier said two persons were detained for interrogation but had refused to share details. He had confirmed Valmiki used to file RTI applications much to Krishna's annoyance.

Irate villagers of Bichhwe panchayat blocked the Jamui-Sikandara main road to demand immediate arrest of those involved in the murders. They called off the blockade only on the persuasion of administrative officials.

This is the fourth murder of an RTI activist in Bihar this calendar year.

Rahul Jha (Saharsa), Jayant Kumar (Vaishali) and Rajendra Singh (East Champaran) were killed earlier.

Nagrik Adhikar Manch convenor and a leading RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai said 14 RTI activists have been killed in the state since 2008 and said the state government has so far not accepted the demand to conduct speedy trial in the cases.