Villagers block road, pelt stones at police over boy’s murder in Saran

Patna: Villagers pelted stones at a police team, damaged vehicles and blocked NH-722 near Bheldi Chowk to protest the murder of an 11-year-old boy in Amnour police station area in Saran district on Tuesday.The boy, Shivam Kumar, a Class V student at Mandrauli Middle School and the only son among seven sisters, went missing on Dec 31, 2025 evening, while playing near his house in Mandrauli village. His family filed a missing person report at Amnour police station, but no immediate breakthrough came.On Jan 11, his body was found in bushes about 500 metres from house. His younger sister, Moni, identified him from his clothes. The head of the body was crushed, but no blood stain was found at the site, leading police to suspect that he was killed elsewhere and dumped to destroy evidence.The family and villagers accused police of inaction even two days after the body was found, fuelling outrage. On Tuesday, the villagers, including the victim’s family, blocked NH-722, raising slogans against the police and causing long traffic jams on both sides of the road. Protests lasted for an hour.When police arrived to pacify them, the crowd turned aggressive, pushed officers, and pelted stones at them. Some climbed on the police vehicles, smashing their windowpanes with sticks and overturning a vehicle. The situation escalated, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse the mob.DSP Naresh Paswan and Sadar SDO Nidhi Raj arrived with reinforcements and calmed the crowd by assuring a swift investigation, promising to identify and arrest the culprits soon. “A special team has been formed to investigate the murder,” the DSP said.