Two traders shot in Bihar; BJP says ‘jungle raj’ has returned

Two traders, including a BJP activist, were shot dead in Bihar in separate incidents, causing the opposition to question the law and order situation in the state.

PATNA Two traders, including a BJP activist , were killed and two others were injured in separate incidents in Bihar between late Friday and Saturday afternoon, causing the leadership of the BJP, the principal opposition party, to described the situation as symptomatic of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

A BJP activist was among two persons shot in Bihar, raising fears of a dip in the law and order situation. (Representative photo)

BJP activist and medicine trader Dinesh Sharma was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants at Pachpatra village in Saran district of north Bihar, late night on Friday.

The incident took place when Sharma, a resident of Sheikhpura, was returning home from Revealganj Bazaar, after closing his shop. He was the seventh BJP activist to be killed in the last five months in Saran district, police said.

The BJP was quick to term the incident as the ‘return of jungle raj in state’, an allusion to the rule of RJD’s Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi (1990-2005), when the law and order situation in Bihar had come into question. “Is there any public order in the state?” asked BJP MP from Maharajganj Janardan Singh Sigriwal.

Police said that this incident too took place late night on Friday night, when Yadav was returning home. The criminals intercepted him and pumped six bullets into his body from close range. He died on the spot. “The cause of his murder is yet to be ascertained”, said Nalanda SP Kumar Ashish.

A case had been registered against unidentified persons, he said.

A third incident took place in Siwan district of north Bihar, on Saturday. Armed miscreants opened fire on a cement trader Rabindra Rai at Srinagar locality under Muffasil police station of the district, injuring him and a truck driver who was passing by.

Rai was referred to Gorakhpur hospital while the truck driver was shifted to the Patna Medical college and Hospital. The police have taken some people into custody in connection with the firing, which was blamed on old enmity. “Police force has been deployed in sensitive areas to avoid any untoward incident”, said Siwan SP Saurabh Sah.