Tension gripped Jal Govind village in Patna district after a 40-year-old man was shot dead near his home late on Saturday night. The victim, identified as Dharmveer Paswan, succumbed to bullet injuries after allegedly being pressured to withdraw a criminal case.
The Fatal Night and Immediate Aftermath
The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Barh police station. According to family members, they heard gunshots around 8 PM and rushed outside to find Dharmveer lying on the ground. Three bullets were fired at him. He was first taken to Barh sub-divisional hospital for primary treatment and then referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where he died during treatment.
Angered by the killing, local residents placed the body on the road and blocked National Highway-31 (NH-31) for nearly two hours, disrupting traffic and expressing their outrage.
Root of the Dispute: An Earlier FIR
The victim's brother, Raghuveer Paswan, explained the sequence of events. He stated that the conflict began on December 21 when Dharmveer's nephew, Priyanshu, had a minor altercation with a youth named Shaktiman. The family subsequently lodged a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the assault on December 23.
"To withdraw this case, people from the accused side were continuously threatening Dharmveer. On Saturday night, about four people came to the house and started pressuring him to withdraw the case," Raghuveer alleged. He claimed that Dharmveer had agreed to withdraw the case on Sunday morning, but was shot despite this assurance.
Police Action and Allegations
Police have launched a thorough investigation. Barh SDPO-1 Anand Kumar Singh confirmed that the incident followed pressure from the panchayat mukhiya (village head) on the complainant's family. "In this sequence, the incident occurred. On Saturday night, the local mukhiya’s husband, Arvind Kumar alias Bhagat Mukhiya, fired shots, and the person died during treatment," the SDPO said.
The victim's family has directly alleged the involvement of the local mukhiya's husband in the murder. Police have made one arrest so far. Shubham Kumar, an accused in the earlier December 21 assault case, was arrested during raids conducted on Saturday night. Authorities are conducting further raids to apprehend Arvind Kumar and his associates.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about local disputes and pressure tactics in the region, with police now tasked with ensuring all perpetrators are brought to justice.
