Saraiya (Muzaffarpur), Jan. 21: The sun came out sparkling on Wednesday after a few cloudy days in Ajitpur village. So were the eyes of saviour Shail Devi.

Justifying her name, Shail stood rock solid between marauders and 10 innocent people during the group clashes in the village on Sunday in which five persons were killed. The word Shail means rock in Hindi.

The eyes of the 50-year-old humble widow of late Jaglal Sahni sparkled while speaking about her act of humanity. Among her listeners was chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

The mother of two daughters and a son said she relied on a lie to save the lives of 10 people. Sporting a not-so-clean sari and head covered with a wiry woollen shawl, Shail said: 'Ten people, including male and female, took shelter in my thatched hut fearing for life. When the armed mob came looking for them, I told them the house belonged to me and no one else was inside.'

Chief minister Manjhi honoured Shail then and there, in public. He gave her a fancy woollen shawl, a cheque of Rs 51,000 and a commendation letter recognising her bravery and selfless act, which she termed 'an act of humanity'.

'Shail Devi has done a commendable job. She showed courage like Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and saved so many people. She has presented a role model to the society and she should be worshipped. I salute you,' Manjhi said.

The chief minister gave Rs 20,000 each to Shail's two daughters and said the state government would provide more money if needed. Manjhi announced to construct the house of Shail under the Indira Awaas Yojana and ordered district magistrate (DM) Anupam Kumar to include her name in the widow pension scheme.

Manjhi also met the family members of the clash victims and went around the village. He praised the DM for his painstaking work to thwart escalation of strife.

Manjhi requested everybody to maintain peace and harmony in the society. 'I am asking people to refrain from politics over the clash. It is a sad incident and my sympathies are with the families of the victims. I am praying for peace and harmony. Everybody should maintain peace and communal harmony in the society,' Manjhi said, virtually taking a dig at the BJP, which had raised several questions regarding the violence and police inaction at Ajitpur.

The chief minister reached the village by road around 11am and spent around an hour there.

The RJD chief, Lalu Prasad, also came calling to the village this afternoon with a host of leaders, including Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Ram Vichar Rai, Mithlesh Prasad Yadav and Iqbal Mohammad Sami. Lalu urged the DM and senior superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra to arrest the persons, largely outsiders, involved in the barbaric act.

Lalu condemned the Sunday's clashes saying that a section of vested interests was trying to ruin the social fabric of the state.