JD(U), LJP netas shot in Samastipur, Siwan

PATNA/SAMASTIPUR: Two leaders of the ruling NDA were shot dead in two separate incidents in Samastipur and Siwan districts barely a few hours after the DGP patted his subordinates on their back on Sunday for their splendid work.
JD(U)’s Ujiarpur block general secretary Sant Kumar Singh (45) was shot dead by motorbike-borne criminals at Belamegh village near Lalu Chowk under Ujiarpur police station area in Samastipur district around 10pm on Sunday while Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Kalyan Dutt Pandey (55) was gunned down in Siwan district earlier in the day.
Singh was shot at close range when he was returning home from the local market on his motorbike. Singh, who was also a customer service point (CSP) manager of Punjab National Bank, died on the spot.
As the news about his murder reached his native village, a large number of his supporters blocked the road. The local police had to beat the hasty retreat as the protesters outnumbered them. Ujiarpur SHO Shambhu Nath Singh said on Monday that the protesters disrupted vehicular traffic at Azad Chowk after placing the body in the middle of the NH-28. Senior police officers rushed to the spot and the blockade was lifted following their intervention. “The body has been sent to the Samastipur sadar hospital for postmortem,” he added.
The SHO said land dispute is stated to be the reason behind Singh’s murder. “But he had never approached the police to lodge any complaint,” he said and added that the deceased also worked as a quack in the remote areas.
On August 28, another JD(U) leader, Kailash Singh, was killed with a sharp-edged weapon at Baghi under Tajpur police station area in Samastipur district.
Earlier in the day, LJP leader Pandey (55) was attacked near Pratappur Tekri canal under Hussainganj police station area when he was on way to the district headquarters on his motorbike to meet an acquaintance. The deceased’s motorbike was missing from the spot.
Siwan SP Naveen Chandra Jha said the incident took place around 9am when he was on way to Siwan from his native village at Amas. The criminals shot him from behind after he stopped his motorbike to attend the call of nature. “The way Pandey has been shot shows that he was killed by a member of the motorbike snatching gang operating in the district. He had contested the election for the post of district board chairman last year,” the SP added.
He further said, “He was not much active in political activities these days. So, political rivalry behind his murder is ruled out.”
The killings took place on the day when Siwan SP was rewarded for speedy conviction in a rape case and Samastipur DSP Pritish Kumar was honoured for speedy detection of crimes committed under the jurisdiction of Mufassil and Musarigharari police stations in the district.
Taking a dig at the state government for its failure to rein in crime, RLSP state general secretary Vinod Choudhary said, “The law and order, which once used to be the USP of CM Nitish Kumar, has touched its nadir. Criminals are attacking people at their sweet will, any time and anywhere.”