E-Paper
Tension grips Rohtas after youth shot dead, 2 others critically hurt over land dispute
A dispute regarding the possession of 8.52 acres of cultivable land belonging to the Vaishnavayat Ramanuj sect’s Bara Khatla Ashram of Vrindavan led to the incident.
Residents of Karanj village under Dinara police station area of Bihar’s Rohtas district were a tense lot after a young man was shot dead on Sunday, allegedly over a disputed piece of land near the village. Two managers of a Math were also critically injured during the attack.
A dispute regarding the possession of 8.52 acres of cultivable land belonging to the Vaishnavayat Ramanuj sect’s Bara Khatla Ashram of Vrindavan led to the incident.
A Patna high court judgment and revenue receipts were in favour of asharm mahanth Rameshwaracharya. But a priest of the Shaivayat sect called Anoop Giri alias Naga Baba had usurped the land and given it to some villagers, the police said.
The administration had earlier fixed a date to resolve the dispute and had called both the parties to Dinara police station on Saturday. Sub divisional magistrate, Deputy SP and deputy collector of land reforms (DCLR), Bikramganj, had reached the police station on the stipulated date.
Mahanth Rameshwaracharya also appeared before the officers and showed them the HC judgment and revenue receipts based on which the officers directed him to cultivate the land after following the legal process of demarcation. Giri, however not had not showed up.
On Sunday, when the manager and staff of the Math reached the area with a tractor to plough the land, Anoop Giri along with his supporters attacked them resulting in firing from both sides.
A 20-year-old youth identified as Bhola Ram who was grazing goats on the disputed land got caught in the cross-firing and died on the way to the district hospital at Sasaram.
Angry villagers led by Anoop Giri torched the tractor and attacked the Math and assaulted the manager and staff hiding inside. Managers Raja Ram Singh and Daya Shankar Tiwary were critically injured and rescued by a police team led by station house officer Samrat Singh. Both the men were admitted to a hospital under police protection.
The angry mob also blocked NH-30 for half an hour accusing the police and administration of being partial. A few others also accused the administration and police of not implementing the HC order and blamed them for not registering a case against Giri and his men. The Magistrate and a police team are currently camping at the village, officials said.
A case has been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 27 of the Arms Act and Section 3(1)(iv) of SC/ST Act against 12 people based on the statement of the victim’s cousin. A special investigation team has been formed to look into the matter, Superintendent of Police, Ashish Bharti said.
