Tension in two Muzaffarpur villages after youth’s brutal murder

PATNA: An eerie silence prevailed at Sonbarsa and Repura Rampur Sah villages under Kanti police station area in Muzaffarpur district following the brutal murder of a 19-year-old youth allegedly by his girlfriend’s relatives late Friday night.
A magistrate and a posse of armed police force have been deployed at the village in the wake of tension. The girl’s family members have been absconding since the incident came to light.The house was locked when police reached the village on Saturday.
The police claimed the girl’s father Sushant Pandey alias Vijay Kumar was arrested barely two hours after the youth’s thrashing. However, the other accused, including the girl’s uncle and his accomplices were absconding.
Muzaffarpur SSP Jayant Kant said Ashok Thakur, Ranjeet Kumar and Mukesh Kumar, stated to be the residents of Repura Rampur Sah village, have already been arrested for attacking the girl’s house on Saturday. “Raids were on to nab the other accused,” he added.
The incident took place at around 11pm on Friday when the deceased, identified as Saurabh Kumar, was found in the girl’s house. The family members held him captive, tied him with a tree and assaulted with iron rods till he fainted. His private parts were also chopped off before dropping him at a private hospital in a serious condition.
Saurabh’s father Manish Kumar alleged that he found his son lying in a pool of blood in the hospital at Muzaffarpur. He died during treatment on Saturday morning. He alleged that Saurabh had left home on Friday evening after receiving a phone call. “He has been killed,” he told the police.
When the body reached Repura Rampur Sah, a number of people accompanied by his relatives blocked road and disrupted traffic on Muzaffarpur-Sahebganj road. Later, a group of people took the body to the girl’s house at Sonbarsa and performed his last rites outside the building. Another group went to the rooftop and ransacked the house.
“Such an incident of burning the body outside the girl’s house has not taken place earlier in the village,” said septuagenarian Ramnath Thakur. Male members of the village have abandoned their houses apprehending police action.
Local residents revealed that Saurabh was mercilessly beaten up last year when he had gone to meet his girlfriend. His nails were removed by the tormentors. However, the matter was settled after the intervention of the local panchayat. Apprehending trouble, his father had sent him to Odisha where he worked at a private firm. He returned home in June to attend his sister’s wedding ceremony.
The locals told the police that he frequented the girl’s house again, leading to his murder.