E-Paper
Man shot dead in land dispute: 7 arrested; group head alleges partial action by police
A special investigation team of Rohtas police arrested seven persons from different locations for allegedly killing a man at Karanj village under Dinara police station limits on August 1, police said on Wednesday
A special investigation team of Rohtas police arrested seven persons from different locations for allegedly killing a man at Karanj village under Dinara police station limits on August 1, police said on Wednesday.
Bhola Ram, 35, was shot dead in a firing incident that occurred over the possession of 8.52 acres of cultivable land. The land belonged to the Vaishnavayat Ramanuja Section’s Bara Khatla Ashram in Vrindavan. A Shaivayat Section’s priest and his supporters allegedly attacked the manager and owner’s staff members, who were ploughing the land with a tractor on August 1.
Two managers of the Vaishnavayat math were critically injured in the attack.
Police registered a case for murder, arms act and SC/ST Act (as the victim belonged to the Scheduled Caste) against 12 named persons of Vaishnavayat Math and superintendent of police Ashish Bharti formed an SIT under Bikramganj SDPO for their arrest.
The arrested persons have been identified as Raja Ram Singh and Shivji Singh of Karanj village, Sudhir Tiwary, Ravindra Tiwary and Surendra Tiwary of Paura, managers Daya Shankar Tiwary of Takanpura and Raja Ram Singh of Chhotki Agarer, all in Rohtas district.
While five arrested persons were sent to jail, the remaining two critically injured managers were admitted to a government hospital at Dinara, police said.
Meanwhile, Bara Khatla Vrindavan Peethadhishwar Swami Rameshwaracharya alleged that “the police were partial as they arrested innocent people, including critically injured managers, without investigating their involvement or location.”
Rameshwaracharya said that the Patna high court passed a judgement in favour of math in 1969, but the dispute continued even after the judgement. In 2020, officials measured and demarcated the land on the order of the local circle officer.
“Managers and the staff had gone to cultivate the land on the orders of the sub-divisional magistrate and the sub-divisional police officer given in Janta Durbar organised at a local police station on July 21,” he added.
“They were attacked by Anoop Giri and his supporters who also torched the tractor. But police did not take any action against Giri and his men,” Rameshwaracharya alleged.
However, Rohtas SP Ashish Bharti said that a case has also been registered against Annop Giri and his 11 men for the murderous attack, torching the tractor and theft. “Police will not spare any person involved in the incident,” Bharti said.
