Another mahadalit murdered in Nawada within two days

PATNA: Police in Nawada district recovered body of a mahadalit Bhuwaneshwar Manjhi (60) from a field near his hutment in village Dharampur under Rajauli police station on Sunday morning. His right eye was gauged using a sharp edged weapon.
This is second incident in Nawada within 48 hours where a mahadalit was murdered. On morning of March 2, another mahadalit Raju Rajbanshi (57) was lynched for protesting against sexual harassment of some women at village Taran under Sirdalla police station.Ten persons including one Bambam Yadav were named accused in the murder case but none was arrested till Sunday.
Rajauli police station SHO Awadesh Kumar said that a long and sharp edged weapon was used to gauge victim’s right eye which might had resulted in death. He said Manjhi was probably murdered on Saturday night and police was informed only after villagers spotted his body lying in a pool of blood on Sunday morning.
“No other injury mark were spotted on the body. Nor any suspicious object which might had been used in the killing was recovered from spot,” the SHO said adding that the reasons behind the killing was still unknown as Manjhi did not had enemy with anyone in the village.
The SHO also said that Manjhi was living alone for past several years in the village and one of his son works at a brick kiln in Allahabad while another son, who is mentally unstable, lives in a neighbouring village.
“The deceased owned 1.5 bigha land which he had mortgaged to a fellow villager. His wife had also died three years back and somehow he managed to meet the ends,” SHO Kumar said adding body was handed over to family members after autopsy. SHO Kumar said an FIR was lodged against unknown persons by deceased’s nephew.
Meanwhile, in the lynching case, Sirdalla police station SHO Raj Kumar said Babbam Yadav and nine others, the named accused in the FIR lodged by Rajbanshi’s son Pradeep Kumar, had fled from the village after the murder. “Bambam and others lynched Rajbanshi using sticks and rods. Bambam owns a shop on a village road from where women used pass each day to relieve themselves and Rajbanshi regularly protested Bambam’s act. Finally, on Friday, Bambam and others lynched Rajbanshi,” SHO Kumar said.