Patna: Unidentified armed criminals gunned down a contractor and former ward councillor, Sanjiv Kumar Sinha, near the official residence of senior police and administrative officials at Hajipur in Vaishali district late on Monday night, triggering protest by residents on Tuesday.
Sanjiv, 35, a resident of SDO road, under the jurisdiction of Hajipur town police station, was attacked by bike-borne criminals when he was returning home from Gandhi Chowk around 9pm on Monday. He was rushed to the local hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
The police said the criminals pumped two bullets into Sanjiv from close range and it proved fatal for him. Auto-rickshaw drivers of the district headquarters town kept their autos off the road to vent their ire against the incident. Sanjiv was associated with an organisation fighting for the cause of auto-drivers.
As the news about the murder in VIP colony spread, a number of people assembled near the official residence of superintendent of police Manavjeet Singh Dhillon and shouted anti-police slogans. The protesters demanded immediate arrest of the accused and threatened to intensify their agitation if the assailants were not arrested soon.
The incident took political overtones as Union minister and RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state in general and in Vaishali district in particular.
"The state police have failed to check incidents of crime. How do so many murders take place in Bihar," asked Kushwaha. "Where is the rule of law? Law and order has virtually collapsed in the state. There is no fear of the law. The criminals are virtually ruling the roost." he told reporters after meeting family members of the slain contractor at Hajipur on Tuesday.
Last month, an RLSP leader and block pramukh, Manish Kumar Sahni, was shot dead in the block headquarters premises at Jandaha in Vaishali district.
Taking a dig at chief minister Nitish Kumar, Kushwaha said: "Nitish ji is the head of the state government. Who else should I lodge my complaint against? It is shocking that the killers attack a person near the official residences of the VIPs and go scot-free." He, however, denied that he was engaged in politics over murder. "I am shocked at the frequent murders. The killers should be arrested," he said.
Referring to the murder of the RLSP worker at Jandaha in Vaishali district, Kushwaha said: "It was a very shocking incident. This reflects poor policing in the state. The RLSP leader was killed in the block headquarters and no action was taken against any senior police official. "Only junior rank officers were suspended," he said.
Hajipur additional superintendent of police Ajay Kumar said raids were on to arrest the killers.
"Action is being taken against the culprits on basis of evidence," he said.
