Bhagalpur, Jan. 31: Two persons were killed and another was abducted last night during a clash between residents of two villages over immersion of Saraswati idols at Milmitar in Jamui district.

The deceased have been identified as Mohammad Toyab (40), a resident of Milmitar, and Karu Ansari (27) of nearby Islamnagar village. A team of Jamui police and 131st battalion of CRPF found the bodies around 6am today near Gari Chowk.

Mohammad Zabbar (50), a resident of Milmitar, has been reported missing after the clash. The residents of Milmitar claimed that he was kidnapped by the Maoists, who were allegedly with the Guthia villagers. Guthia is in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. Police did not rule out the possibility of the rebels being involved in the incident.

Trouble broke out between the residents of Milmitar and Guthia around 9pm when a group from the Jharkhand village came to immerse Saraswati idols at Gari dam. At least a dozen villagers of Milmitar were injured in the clash that broke out between the two sides. Several rounds were fired during the clash, sources said.

A Milmitar resident said: “The villagers stopped the people from Jharkhand, who had come to the Bihar side for the first time to immerse idols. The Guthia villagers were asked to explain their motive. An altercation broke out between the two sides, which led to the clash.”

Police said tension was brewing at Milmitar since January 29 when around 50 villagers of Guthia were passing through the Jamui village to immerse Saraswati idols.

The man from Milmitar admitted that the Jharkhand residents were assaulted and one of their motorcycles was damaged by his fellow villagers. The injured Guthia villagers managed to escape. Yesterday morning, the Milmitar villagers staged a road blockade at Gari Chowk. More than 150 villagers returned with another immersion procession yesterday around 8.30pm.

Sources said the Guthia villagers had managed to seek support from the Maoists to take revenge, but could not imagine they would face a tough resistance from the Milmitar side.

Police in Jamui have not yet ascertained the cause for the clash. “The incident might be a result of a fight for supremacy of the villagers. Criminals might also be involved in the incident. We have started investigations to ascertain if the Maoists were involved,” Jamui superintendent of police Upendra Kumar Verma said.

A CRPF officer said preliminary investigations suggested that sophisticated weapons like self-loading rifles were used in the clash. “We have collected empty cartridges from the spot, which suggested that sophisticated weapons were used in the incident. Such weapons are used by the Maoists,” the officer said.