Patna, June 25: A group of anti-socials attacked a senior judicial officer's house at Ara in Bhojpur early this morning.

Police said four youths on two motorbikes reached the Judges Colony in Ara around 1.30am and pelted stones on the official residence of additional district and sessions judge-IV Ramesh Chandra Dwivedi. The judicial officer was asleep.

The officer's peon, Bajrangi Gaur, who was deputed at the entrance of the building, suffered injuries in his thigh in the incident. He was rushed to the Ara sadar hospital where his condition is stated to be out of danger. The attackers were said to be in the age group of 20-25 years.

The judicial officer told reporters that a similar incident had occurred around two weeks ago. However, he ignored the matter and didn't report it to the police. "We got alarmed after the repeat of the incident in the wee hours of Sunday," Dwivedi said.

Sources said the judge had recently cancelled the bail of a notorious criminal and the incident could be a fallout of his order.

Bhojpur superintendent of police Kshatranil Singh said an FIR has been lodged with the Nawada police station on the statement of the peon. The station house officer of Nawada has been asked to intensify night patrolling in the area.

The superintendent of police said no closed circuit television cameras have been installed in the locality to keep an eye on such criminals in the area.

The sub-divisional officer concerned had been asked to ascertain the identity of the culprits and initiate stern action against them.

Taking a dig at the law-and-order situation in the district headquarters town, president of Bhojpur district bar association Munna Pandey said even judges were not safe and were being targeted by criminals. "One can imagine the condition of a common citizen under such circumstances," he added.

The Bhojpur SP had earlier told The Telegraph that additional police force had been provided to the Nawada police station from the Police Lines to carry out night patrolling. "We have taken a serious view of the incident and the guilty would not be spared," he said.

Apart from the residences of the judicial officials, the official bungalows of the district magistrate and other senior administrative officers are also located nearby.

Five held with arms

Security forces on Sunday arrested five persons carrying arms and ammunition at Thadi Jungle More under Lakshmipur police station in Jamui.

Three country-made pistols, a 2kg can bomb, eight cartridges and two detonators were seized from their possession, superintendent of police Jayant Kant said.

A four-wheeler was also recovered from them by a team of security forces comprising personnel of CRPF, SSB, STF and district armed police.