Patna: The husband of a Zila Parishad member was shot dead by armed assailants during a morning walk in Sitamarhi district on Saturday. The incident triggered violence in the area as angry villagers torched the house of a suspect, vandalised police vehicles and clashed with security personnel.The deceased, BaidyanathMahto(62), husband of Ward-13 Zila Parishad member Dilkhush Devi, was gunned down near Pathariya cremation ground at Kethariya-Rampatti Chowk under Dumra police station area. According to police and local residents, three motorcycle-borne men opened fire on Mahto around 6am and fled after the attack. He died on the spot.Residents alleged that Mahto had been opposing an illegal liquor trade in the village and had received threats over the issue. Family members claimed he had survived a firing incident on Aug 28 and had lodged an FIR against several persons.The killing sparked outrage among villagers, who set afire to the house of a suspected accused, and some of them attacked the police team. The situation soon turned violent, with protesters vandalising police vehicles and pelting stones at security personnel. Two police officers, inspectors Anil Ram and Prashant Kumar, sustained injuries in the clashes.Police teams from around a dozen police stations were rushed to the area to restore order. Sitamarhi SP Amit Ranjan and local administrative officials also reached the spot and held talks with villagers.Amid the unrest, the SP suspended Dumra SHO Mukesh Kumar and sub-inspector Aditya Kumar on charges of negligence and shifted them to the district police line.According to local resident Sanjay Patel, the attackers fired around 10 rounds at Mahto, with nearly eight bullets hitting different parts of his body. “He died on the spot while the assailants escaped,” Patel said.Mahto’s family alleged that despite informing police about the Aug 28 firing incident and naming suspects in an FIR, no effective action was taken. His granddaughter claimed the family had repeatedly alerted police about threats to his life.SP Amit Ranjan said that in the Aug 28 case, one accused had surrendered before a court and steps were being taken to secure warrants against others named in the FIR.“The FSL team is examining the crime scene and collecting scientific evidence. CCTV footage from nearby locations is also being scrutinised,” the SP said, adding that raids were under way to identify and arrest those involved in the murder.He said the SHO and the investigating officer handling the earlier firing case had been suspended with immediate effect for alleged dereliction of duty.
