Fresh violence hits Jethuli near Patna, shoot-out toll climbs to three

According to police, around 7am on Monday, a mob allegedly set ablaze three godowns and houses of Umesh Rai and his brother Satish Kumar alias Bachcha Yadav, who had allegedly shot the three youths on Sunday.

Fresh violence and arson broke out at Jethuli near Bihar’s capital Patna on Monday, a day after a shoot-out between two rival groups left two youths dead while a third succumbed to injuries on Tuesday, police said.

At Jethuli near Patna on Monday, where a mob allegedly set ablaze three godowns and houses of Umesh Rai and his brother Satish Kumar alias Bachcha Yadav. (HT Photo)

Jethuli is situated on the banks of river Ganga, about 27 kilometres south-east of Patna.

According to police, around 7am on Monday, a mob allegedly set ablaze three godowns and houses of Umesh Rai and his brother Satish Kumar alias Bachcha Yadav, who had allegedly shot the three youths on Sunday. The mob on Monday also pelted stones on police, forcing them to fire in the air and resort to baton charge to control the situation.

A police contingent, including a team of Rapid Action Force (RAF), led by superintendent of police (Patna rural) Syed Imran Masood, was rushed to the area and 12 people involved in loot and arson were detained, police said.

According to police, Umesh had contested parliamentary election in 2014 on a Samajwadi Party ticket and later joined the RJD. Bachcha Yadav’s wife Anju Devi is said to be mukhiya (head) of Jethuli panchayat while Umesh’s wife Meena Devi is the former vice-president of the district board.

The trouble began on Sunday when LPG cylinders being unloaded, allegedly on the road, from Bachcha Yadav’s godown blocked way for a tractor owned by his rival Bittu Kumar. Yadav’s elder brother Ramesh allegedly slapped the tractor driver, that led to brick batting between two groups.

“The dispute soon escalated and Yadav called his relatives. They pulled out firearms and started firing,” said Sanjit Kumar, uncle of Gautam (18), one of the three youths killed in the firing. The other two victims have been identified as Raushan Rai (25) and Munarik Rai (26).

Hours later, a mob set ablaze houses, a marriage hall and at least six luxury vehicles owned by Yadav and his family members.

“Preliminary investigation suggests Bachcha Yadav has a licensed rifle. He had also hired a private guard from Punjab, who also used his licensed weapon to fire,” said Patna senior SP Manavjit Singh Dhillon.

According to Dhillon, two separate FIRs have been lodged with the local River police station. In the first FIR, 14 people have been named for murder of three persons, of which eight, including Bachcha Yadav, have been arrested. In the second FIR lodged on the basis of police statement, 12 people have been booked for arson, loot and pelting stones on police and all have been arrested.