Abducted LJP leader found murdered in Bihar; violent protests break out

LJP’s Anil Oraon was an influential tribal leader and state president of the party’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) cell.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Anil Oraon’s body was recovered on Sunday, three days after he was kidnapped near his house in Bihar’s Purnia town, triggering violent protests by his kin and followers. 38-year-old Oraon was an influential tribal leader and state president of the party’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) cell.

Despite the family paying the ransom of ₹10 lakh, the leader was killed.

Hundreds of tribal community members, including women, blocked roads, damaged vehicles, vandalised traffic barriers, torched traffic posts and even attacked policemen in protest against the killing.

The situation became tense on Sunday morning after the police recovered Oraon’s body from Dangraha village under Krtiyanand Nagar block in the district, about 10 kms from his residence. The injuries on his body indicated he had been beaten mercilessly before being shot dead. Both his hands were also tied to each other, said a doctor at [the district hospital?], where Oraon’s body was taken for post-mortem.

“The angry crowd didn’t allow the doctors to conduct post-mortem and forcibly took the body away,” a senior doctor, who didn’t wish to be named, said.

Oraon, who unsuccessfully contested from Katihar’s reserved Manihari seat in last year’s assembly elections, was abducted last Thursday very close to his house following which his abductors demanded ₹10 lakh in ransom.

While his sister Seema Devi filed a missing report at Khazanchi Hat police station, Oraon’s family also paid the ransom to kidnappers feeling it was likely to safeguard against any threat to his life.

“Despite the family paying the ransom of ₹10 lakh, the leader was killed,” said a person close to the family.

“Oraon was killed due to a land dispute,” said LJP state general secretary, Shankar Jha, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

Station house officer of Khazanchi Hat police station Sunil Kumar Mandal claimed they had carried out raids and the murder case will soon be resolved.

Three persons including a woman were earlier detained in the case. Police claimed recovery of Oraon’s body was done on the basis of information received from these detainees. “Further probe is underway,” police said.

A police officer aware of the developments in the case claimed that the current investigation was driven by two possible motives including land dispute.