Five arrested in Nalanda lynching, murder cases

BIHARSHARIF: Police arrested five persons on Thursday in connection with the murder of a local RJD neta Indal Paswan and lynching of two people, including a minor on Wednesday.

The two beaten to death were identified as Ranjan Yadav (14) and Santu Malakaar (40). Indal was shot dead while returning home on his bike from a relative’s house after attending a ‘shraadh’ on Tuesday night.

Confirming the arrest, Nalanda SP Sudhir Kumar Porika said those arrested are Sonu Kumar, Shailendra Kumar, Ajay Paswan and Shatrudhan Paswan of Maghra village under Deepnagar police station area. One Dilip Paswan of Patna City under Malsalami police station in

Patna district

was also arrested.

Porika said raids are on to arrest other culprits and cops have been deployed at Maghra and adjoining villages to instil confidence among the family members of the victims.

Meanwhile, Deepnagar police station SHO Dharmendra Kumar said that so far four FIRs have been lodged in the lynching case. The first FIR against five named and 15 unnamed persons was lodged by one Gopal Paswan, nephew of the deceased RJD neta Indal Paswan, the second FIR was lodged against 50 persons by one Mali Devi, mother of the 14-year-old victim of lynching Ranjan Yadav, the third FIR was lodged against 51persons by one Jai Prakash Malakar, uncle of Santu Malakar. The fourth FIR was lodged by police against a number of persons who allegedly damaged police vehicles.

The mob, suspecting the involvement of the grandson of one Chunni Lal in the murder of Indal Paswan, not only lynched Santu but also set his house ablaze.

Demanding arrest of the miscreants involved in the murder of the RJD neta and the lynching cases, CPI-ML took out a protest march in Biharsharif, while RJD district president Humayun Akhtar Tarik said there is complete breakdown of law and order in the state and the state government seems to have surrendered before the criminals.

Though an eerie silence prevailed at Maghra which some attributed to a lull before the storm, sources said several villagers have left the village with their families.