Muzaffarpur tense after clashes, probe ordered

Three persons were killed as a mob torched nine houses in a village in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar on Sunday after the body of an abducted youth was recovered.

While ordering a high-level probe into the clash between two communities late on Sunday night in which three people have been killed and over dozen houses gutted to fire in Muzaffarpur, Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who was on pilgrimage tour to Mumbai, has cancelled his tour and reaching Patna on Monday. The government has also announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the victim families.

According to police officials following recovery of the body of a local youth, hundreds of villagers set on fire over dozen houses in Azizpur village under Saraiya police station of Muzaffarpur in which three people were burnt to death. The situation is reported to be tense in the village after the incident. 

The government has constituted a two-member high level inquiry into the incident comprising the state home secretary Sudhir Kumar and Additional Director General of Police [headquarter], Gupteshwar Pandey.

The clash between the two groups triggered after the recovery of the body of one Bhartendu Sahni, 19, who was from a neighbouring village, Bahilwara Mali Tola. Sahni, a college student was traceless from January 9 and his family members had lodged a case against one Sadaquat Ali alias Vikki of Azizpur village in this connection.

After recovery of the dead body of the youth from an agricultural field on Sunday, the infuriated villagers rushed to the Azizpur village and burnt down over a dozen houses there. Two people died in the fire while one succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. Vehicles and animals too were burnt to ashes in the fire.

Senior police officials reached the village and brought the situation under control.

“It was handiwork of some anti social elements from both the groups of villagers. At first sight it appeared to be an incident happened due to love affair”, Gupteshwar Pandey, ADG [headquarter] told  The Hindu.

Later, the police arrested eight persons, including Sadaquat Ali alias Vikki against whom an FIR was lodged earlier by the family members of the deceased youth.

Meanwhile, taking serious note of the incident the Bihar chief minister has abandoned his Mumbai trip midway and returning to the state capital on Monday. The government has earlier announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the victim family members.