BJP minister blames police for Madhubani killings

PATNA: The murder of five persons, including four brothers, in Madhubani on Holi has brought the state police under attack from both the opposition as well as BJP, the alliance partner of state government.
The killings took place over a dispute over fishing from a pond between Muhammadpur and Gebipur villages under Benipatti police station area on March 29.The pond is owned by one Sanjay Singh from Muhammadpur, but another group from Gebipur wanted to capture it.
State environment, forest and climate change department minister and BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Singh alias Bablu visited Muhammadpur on Saturday and termed the killings as a massacre. “This is not a routine incident and no action has been taken against the police yet,” he said.
“Kahi na kahi police ke nakammapan ki wajah se ye ghatna ghati hai (the incident took place because of police inaction),” Neeraj told the media.
While Rana Pratap Singh and his nephew Ranvijay Singh were shot dead on the spot, Ranvijay’s two brothers Birendra Singh and Amrendra Singh and their cousin Rudra Narayan Singh died during treatment. Ranvijay’s another cousin Manoj Singh is still undergoing treatment in a critical condition. They hailed from Muhammadpur. Rana was an assistant sub-inspector in BSF posted on Rajasthan border and had come home on leave.
The opposition also targeted the Nitish Kumar government over the Madhubani killings. Leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav tweeted: “Massacre of five persons in Madhubani. Same day, 22 deaths from poisonous hooch. Failed CM has no knowledge about these deaths. Everyone is silent up to Delhi. These are some trailers of ‘mangalraj’ in Bihar.”
In another tweet he said, “Accused should be arrested without delay and stern action should be taken against them.”
Tejashwi also lashed out at the CM over the alleged custodial death of a minor irrigation department employee in Bhagalpur. “Bihar police can pick up anyone except criminals and murder them for extortion. Police have started extortion with the notification of Bihar Special Armed Police Act. CM must be unknown of the incident. He lied in the assembly about the bill. Now he should handle his police,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Madhubani SP Satya Prakash said ten named accused out of 35 persons booked in the Muhammadpur incident had been arrested. “Two of the ten arrested persons are the prime accused in the case,” he said.
“Police on Saturday procured proclamation notices against rest of the accused and executed them,” he said.
Prakash said police would move the court for property attachment of all the accused within two days if they evaded arrest.
The SP said earlier in November last year, both groups had clashed on the issue of fishing from the pond. “Some of the people, including Sanjay Singh, who own the pond, are still behind bars,” he said.
Prakash said a special investigation team under Benipatti SDPO Arun Kumar Singh is trying to arrest all the accused. “We are also in touch with SPs of Dhanusha, Sattari and Sihra districts of Nepal to nab the accused who might have fled there. Police would soon file chargesheet in the case for speedy trial,” he said.