RJD leader on morning walk shot dead in Bihar’s Samastipur district
Former Samastipur district RJD chief Hare Ram Yadav was gunned down by motorcycle-borne criminals at Hasanpur in Rosera sub-division.
Unidentified criminals gunned down a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader in Rosera sub-division of Samastipur district in north Bihar early Friday morning.
Former district RJD chief Hare Ram Yadav, 55, was on a morning walk when motorcycle-borne assailants fired at him near Sihi More at Hasanpur, 63 km southeast of Samastipur and 148 km east of state capital Patna, police said.
As Yadav, who was hit by five bullets, collapsed on the road, the criminals fled from the spot.
“We came to know about the incident through a newspaper vendor who informed us that Yadav was lying unconscious on the road near the Sihi More. He was rushed to sadar hospital at Samastipur where the doctors declared him brought dead,” said Alpana Yadav, a relative of the deceased.
READ| Cop on morning walk shot dead in Bihar’s Gaya district
The news of Yadav’s murder sparked protests in Rosera sub-division and djoining areas. An irate mob blocked the Hasanpur-Vidhan road and disrupted vehicular traffic. They were demanding immediate arrest of the killers.
The police said it was a planned murder as assailants were aware of Yadav’s morning walk routine. “We had not received any complaint from him about threat to his life,” they added.
The exact number of assailants was not immediately known, the police said. Those who were present at Sihi More at the time of the crime could not see the assailants due to dense fog, they added.
READ| Businessman on morning walk shot dead in rural Patna
“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of personal enmity,” said the Samastipur superintendent of police (SP) Deepak Ranjan. He ruled out robbery or property dispute as possible motives for the murder. “Vijay Yadav, a distant relative of the deceased, has been detained for interrogation,” the SP said, adding that victim’s daughter-in-law Mamta Devi was mukhia of Ahilwar panchayat in the district.
“Hare Ram Yadav used to lend money on interest to people. He could have been a victim of a dispute stemming out from one such financial transaction,” said a relative.