An undertrial lodged in Muzaffarpur's Khudiram Bose Memorial Central Jail was shot at on the civil court premises on Monday, sending litigants and security personnel scurrying for cover.

The victim, 35-year-old Jugnu Singh, was shot at thrice in the back around 11.40am when two security personnel were escorting him to the court from the prisoners' lock-up on the court premises. He is now battling for life at a private nursing home in Muzaffarpur town, around 80km north of Patna.

Three armed youths had suddenly appeared before the group and fired at Jugnu. He fell to the ground unconscious and the attackers, aged between 20 and 25 years, fled unchallenged from the scene.

The firing created panic among the court employees and litigants, who ran helter-skelter for safety. Even policemen deployed on the court campus scurried for cover.

Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ranjit Kumar Mishra said: 'Jugnu has been admitted to a private nursing home where his condition is stated to be critical. Earlier, he was taken to the court from the central jail for his production in a case. The criminals attacked him near the record room of the court.'

Jugnu was set to appear in the court of first class judicial magistrate S.K. Manjhi in connection with a case related to the murder of two alleged accomplices of jailed gangsters (Manoj Kumar Mishra and Munna Singh), who were shot dead near a motel at Maksudpur village of the district on January 12.

'The attack is a fallout of the murder of Manoj and Munna, who were accomplices of jailed gangsters Shambu and Mantoo,' SSP Mishra said.

Two weeks ago, supporters of Jugnu and Shambhu-Mantoo had clashed with each other in the prisoners' ward of the central jail.