Patna, March 11: A 22-year-old engineering student was today injured by a stray bullet when alleged Maoists opened fire at Habbipur village under Rajpur police station in Rohtas district.

Ravi Kumar, a BTech student of a Ranchi-based engineering college, was immediately rushed to a hospital in Varanasi, about 35km from Rohtas, where he is struggling for life in the intensive care unit.

About six members of an armed squad of the Maoists attacked the relatives of Rajpur block pramukh (head) Rajendra Singh about 8am. The assailants had gathered at the house of Rajesh Sharma, an active member of the now disbanded Maoist Communist Centre, for Holi.

Rajesh had reportedly sought the help of the squad members to settle a land dispute with a fellow villager, Lalan Singh. Rajendra had, however, intervened and pacified the two rival groups. This did not go down well with Rajesh’s aides.

They intercepted Rajendra’s family members while they were on their way to the local market. Rajesh’s accomplices abused, threw stones at Rajendra’s kin and fired indiscriminately. Ravi, who had gone to the market to buy vegetables, was hit by a stray bullet fired by the rebels.

Bikramganj sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pramod Kumar said Ravi was rushed to a Varanasi hospital. “Police seized 15 cartridges of .315 bore and an empty cartridge during a search at Rajesh’s house,” he said.

The SDPO confirmed that Rajesh was associated with a Maoist outfit and had called its cadres to his residence to settle score with some Habbipur residents. “Raids are on to arrest the assailants. Rajesh and his family members are absconding after the incident,” the police officer told The Telegraph over phone from Rohtas district.

Sources said Ravi had come to his native village from Ranchi to celebrate Holi. His elder brother, Atul Kumar, said doctors attending to Ravi said his condition was critical.

The incident has triggered panic in the area, as the victim and the assailants belonged to two castes.

“Additional police force has been deployed to avert any untoward incident,” a senior officer posted at the state police headquarters said.

Arrests

Three persons were arrested in Patna on Saturday in connection with the murder of a student in the state capital on March 8.

Simant Kumar, a 22-year-old third-year electrical and electronics engineering student of Bhopal-based Corporate Institute of Science and Technology, was beaten to death by some youths on Rajiv Nagar road number 24 under the same police station on the night of March 8.