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Jharkhand: Protest break out after Ramgarh restaurant owner’s murder
According to the police, three assailants shot dead Mahi restaurant owner Roshan Kumar Sao on Jindal Road of Labga Panchayat under the Basal police station area on Sunday night.
The four-lane roads from Labga roundabout to Patratu Dam in Ramgarh district remained blocked for six hours on Monday as locals, including restaurant owners, staged a demonstration against the murder of a restaurant owner late Sunday evening in the district, around 40 km from Jharkhand’s capital, officials close to the developments said.
According to the police, three assailants shot dead Mahi restaurant owner Roshan Kumar Sao on Jindal Road of Labga Panchayat under the Basal police station area on Sunday night.
The accused fired three bullets at the chest and head from close range and left the spot, allegedly threatening Sao’s staff with dire consequences if they continued running the restaurant in the future.
Based on a complaint by Aman Kumar, brother of the deceased, police registered a first information report (FIR) against the accused under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 27 of the Arms Act at Basal police station on Monday.
According to a senior police officer, the victim Roshan Kumar used to deal in land apart from running the restaurant in the locality.
“The accused forced the victim to run before firing at him from close range. Police are taking the help of CCTV footage to identify the miscreants.”
The incident sparked outrage among the locals and restaurant owners, who staged a protest on Monday.
“The blockade started at 8 am and continued till 2 pm, leading to a long traffic snarl, with the police being busy negotiating with the protestors,” a local said, sharing a video of the road jam.
Ramgarh superintendent of police (SP), Piyush Pandey, said the protesters removed the blockade after they were assured of proper action.
Asked about any breakthrough in the murder case, he said, “The probe is ongoing, and a breakthrough is expected any moment.”
A police official said the incident has come “as an open challenge for the state police”.
“A few hours before Soa was shot dead, Jharkhand DGP Ajay Kumar Singh held a meeting with police officials at Hazaribagh, hardly 50 km from Ramgarh district, and reiterated his commitment to come down heavily on criminal gangs,” the official said.
Two days ago, the police spokesperson AV Homkar organised a press conference at the police headquarters, sharing a plan to curb crime and improve law and order in the state.
