Days after journo’s killing, another murder witness shot dead in Bihar; BJP says ‘jungle raj’ back under Nitish

PATNA: Three back-to-back murders, including of two witnesses, have raised alarm in Bihar ahead of the approaching festive season.

Two days after a journalist was gunned down at his doorstep at Raniganj in Araria for refusing to withdraw the murder case of his brother Gabbu Yadav in which he was a prime witness, the criminals shot dead a retired schoolteacher in Begusarai and a contractor in East Champaran on Sunday morning. The retired teacher, identified as Jawahar Chaudhary (65) was also the lone witness in the murder of his son and the trial in the case was to begin soon.

The spurt in crime incidents prompted the opposition BJP in the state to launch frontal attacks on the present regime saying CM Nitish Kumar, who is also holding home portfolio, had miserably failed to perform his duty. Incidentally, Nitish recently told the media that the "criminal incidents in Bihar are lesser than in other parts of the country".

Police said the retired schoolteacher was on a morning walk at Bachhwara in Begusarai district when the criminals shot him dead at an isolated location.

"Jawahar died on the spot as a bullet hit his head," Teghra SDPO Ravindra Kumar Prasad told TOI.

According to the SDPO, Jawahar had three sons. "His youngest son, Niraj Choudhary, was killed over a land dispute in February 2021. Jawahar was a complainant and an eyewitness in the murder case. His second son, Kamal Choudhary, was an accused in the case. Jawahar's eldest son, Pankaj Choudhary, is also in jail in connection with a fraud case. Kamal is on bail. There is a dispute in the family over a piece of land. Police are investigating the case from all angles," he added.

In East Champaran, the deceased, identified as Rajiv Kumar Yadav (35), was returning home from Chakiya Chowk after morning walk when two unidentified bike-borne criminals shot him dead near Power House Chowk. The assailants escaped towards Muzaffarpur road after committing the crime.

Chakiya SDPO Satyendra Prasad Singh said police recovered two empty cartridges from the spot. It is said that Rajiv was an engineer but worked as a contractor in this area. The locals said he was returning home after reading newspaper at Chakiya Chowk when the criminals asked his name and then pumped two bullets into his chest. Rajiv was taken to a private nursing home in Motihari where doctors declared him brought dead. One Manoj Kumar said Rajiv used to visit the chowk regularly. The SDPO said CCTV footage of the area was being scanned to identify the assailants. The reason behind murder was yet to be ascertained.

Even as these incidents kept the police on their toes, another group of criminals raided a restaurant in Muzaffarpur, known as "political capital" of Bihar, and opened more than a dozen rounds of fire, prompting the customers to run ran helter-skelter. Reports said the miscreants resorted to firing when some 50 guests were present there to celebrate the birthday of a five-year-old girl on Saturday night.

The videos of firing, which have gone viral on social media, show the miscreants at the restaurant as the visitors flee for safety, some trying to hide under the tables. Luckily none was injured. "Four criminals riding two bikes reached the restaurant and asked my brother to come down. On being told he is not available, they resorted to firing," restaurant owner's brother Priyanshu told the media on Sunday. Police said business rivalry could be the reason behind firing.

State BJP president Samrat Choudhary slammed the CM for the prevailing state of affairs. "The law and order situation has totally collapsed in the state. Criminals have gone on the rampage, but the CM has no time to take care of his state. What is more worrying is that witnesses are being killed," Choudhary told the media on Sunday, adding "Kanoon ka raj has come to an end finally."

However, the ruling JD(U) reiterated that the criminal incidents have drastically come down under the Grand Alliance government as compared to the NDA regime. "The criminal incidents in the present regime have come down by 32% as compared to the NDA rule in the state and law and order situation has improved in the past one year," JD(U) national general secretary Rajib Ranjan told TOI on Sunday. He said the NDA was crying hoarse after seeing "imminent defeat" in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.