Gaya, June 23: The body of former Sewra panchayat mukhiya Arvind Kumar Singh could be sent for post-mortem today, almost 18 hours after he was murdered by suspected Maoists, courtesy the protest of villagers.

Singh was killed around 3pm on June 22 near Maigra High School under Dumaria police station. His body was taken today to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) at Gaya. It was handed over to his relatives after the formalities.

Sources said Singh incurred the ire of the rebels as he had ignored their diktat to boycott polls. He was earlier the mukhiya but when Sewra was reserved for women, he fielded his wife Mamta Devi, who won the election.

Bihar Assembly speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary accompanied by JD (U) MLC Anuj Kumar Singh and Gaya senior superintendent of police Vinay Kumar visited the hospital. Sources said Singh was a close aide of Chaudhary.

Maigra bazaar was closed today as a protest to the murder.

On June 22, angry villagers had torched a dumper employed for road con- struction to protest the murder. They also pelted stones on a police party led by Sherghati deputy superintendent of police Mahendra Kumar Basanti, who had come to take the body for post-mortem.