Youth’s murder sparks tension in Saran

CHHAPRA/PATNA: A 19-year-old youth was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Saran district on Tuesday morning, triggering violent protests by some local residents.
The incident took place around 9 am when the deceased, Prakash Kumar, a resident of Daudpur Chatti village under Daudpur police station area in Saran district, had gone with his acquaintances for some work on a motorbike.Kumar’s body was later found near Nand Lal Singh College by some local residents, who informed the police.
Saran SP Har Kishore Rai said the police recovered two empty cartridges from the spot. The body was sent to the sadar hospital at Chhapra for postmortem. “The deceased had criminal antecedents. Personal enmity is stated to be the reason behind the murder. Those involved in the crime are absconding after the incident,” he told this newspaper over phone.
As the news about the youth’s killing spread in the area, a number of relatives and local residents reached the spot and disrupted vehicular traffic on Daudpur (Chhapra)-Siwan road with the body of the deceased. The protesters burnt tyres on the road and also ransacked some shops and business establishments.
The situation was, however, brought under control after the intervention of senior police officials. NLS College principal K P Srivastava said, “The deceased was not a student of this college. Perhaps he was killed somewhere else and his body was dumped here.” He, however, refused to share more information on the issue.
Frequent incidents of attacks on common people in the recent past have sent shockwaves among the denizens. “What to talk of common people, even policemen are not safe here,” said a resident of Daudpur, who shuttles between Daudpur and Chhapra on a motorbike for business purposes.
In August this year, a sub-inspector and a police constable were killed when a gang of armed criminals opened fire on their vehicle at Maraurha under Garkha police station area of the district. Besides, the assailants took away an AK-47 assault rifle belonging to the slain constable.