Patna: Teghra in Begusarai observed a bandh on Sunday to protest alleged police apathy towards arrest of the assailants of a jeweller, Sajan Kumar Soni, who was killed in a running train near Nazirganj railway station in Samastipur on Monday night.

The business establishments remained closed as a mark of protest of the incident. A group of residents also took out a procession and blocked National Highway-28. The protesters demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and adequate compensation for the deceased's family.

The deceased was a resident of Teghra sub-divisional town in Begusarai. The station house officer of Teghra police station, Indu Bhushan, said senior officials of Government Railway Police have been apprised of the demands of the deceased's family.

The SHO said a long queue of vehicles was witnessed on the national highway because of the road blockade, which was removed with the intervention of senior police officers. "Traffic has been restored and is now normal," Indu Bhushan said.

The relatives of the deceased alleged that Sajan was killed because of slackness on the part of the police. "There was no escort team in the Jaynagar Lok Nayak Jansadharan Express in which Sajan was travelling. The assailants killed him and escaped with gold worth Rs 4 lakh and Rs 3 lakh cash," said one of his relatives. They demanded disciplinary action against the SHO of Samastipur Government Railway Police station.

"The police have failed to make any headway in the case even after a week of the incident. Even the attitude of the local GRP officials is highly objectionable," said a family member.

Preliminary probe suggested the assailants were following the jeweller from Samastipur when he had gone to collect money and deliver the consignment on April 9. He was attacked in the train between Ujiarpur and Nazirganj railway stations in Samastipur.

A source in the state police headquarters said Muzaffarpur superintendent of rail police Sanjay Kumar Singh visited the spot two days ago.