Patna: A 19-year-old man was arrested here on Wednesday in connection with the murder of BJP supporter Surendra Kewat. Police also recovered a country-made pistol and live ammunition from the possession of Ratan Kumar.Police are conducting raids to arrest the other suspects. Kewat was shot dead at Sheikhpura village under Pipra police station of Patna district while he was irrigating his field on July 12. Four assailants had arrived on two motorcycles, and fired multiple rounds at Kewat, before fleeing the scene.According to the police, during interrogation, arrested suspect Ratan confessed to accepting a contract killing deal worth Rs 2 lakh, of which he received only Rs 2,000 as an advance payment. City superintendent of police (east) Parichay Kumar said Ratan had fled to Deoghar after the incident, even as the suspect denied the claim. “According to Ratan’s statement, the murder was motivated by local political rivalries. The victim was a vocal local leader whose activism and involvement in panchayat politics apparently troubled his opponents,” said the SP.The victim’s wife, Munni Devi, had filed a complaint at Pipra police station against one Ranjit Paswan and former mukhiya Jai Prakash Paswan, naming them as conspirators.
