ONE KILLED, THREE INJURED IN AN EXCHANGE OF FIRE

ONE KILLED, THREE INJURED IN AN EXCHANGE OF FIRE

21-OCT-ENG 5

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------In an exchange of fire in between two groups at Khangao Sand Ghat No 6 under Chandi police station in Bhojpur district, one person was killed while three other three injured. The deceased was identified as Harshit Singh 25 son of Manoj Singh of Sikraul village under Sikarhatta police station. He was nephew of PACS president Munna Singh and had been in jail. On the other hand, the injured were identified as Sunil Yadav son of Ram Babu Yadav, Bihari Rai son of Dhanraj Rai of Khangaon village under Chandi police station and Prakash Chaudhary son of late Hemant Chaudhary of Belaur village under Udwantnagar police station in Bhojpur district. Prakash Chaudhary is a nephew of a dreaded gangster Ranjeet Chaudhary. Two injured are undergoing treatment at Private nursing home at Babu Bazaar while one is admitted to the Ara Sadar Hospital. Police recovered the body and brought it to the Ara Sadar Hospital for postmortem. The police also recovered two motorcycles from the spot. Meanwhile, Bhojpur SP formed a police team to investigate the matter and also to arrest the miscreants. Tension prevails in and around the area following the incident though police are investigating the matter and also conducting raids to arrest the miscreants.

Bhojpur SP Pramod Kumar Yadav said that members of a group were making path to reach Khangaon Sand Ghat in the afternoon on October 20, 2023 when members of another group reached there and clashed. They exchanged fire in which four persons received bullet injuries though one of them Harshit Singh succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

One of the injured Sunil Kumar of Khangao said that he along with his friends Harshit Singh and Prakssh Chaudhary and Devraj is in the sand business since 2002. Devraj had got sand ghat at Khangao. In the afternoon on October 20, 2023, he along with Harsih Kumar and Prakash Chaudhary had gone to the sand ghat and was paving way to reach the sand ghat. Meanwhile, Anjani Singh of another group came and said as to why they had come there as the sand ghat is his. He called his associates Vijendra Singh, Manoj Baba and Chhathu Singh and they started firing unprovoked and shot at and injured him, Harshit Kumar, Prakash Chaudhary and Bihari Yadav of the village who had come there to attend call of nature. Sunil Kumar blamed Vijendra Singh and Manoj Baba of Ekwari village under Sahar police station, Anjani Singh of Janpara village and Chhathu Singh of Khangao village under Chandi police station of illegal sand mining and firing for war of supremacy in the area.

Munna Singh, PACS president and uncle of the deceased was shot dead at Jagdeo Nagar locality under Ara Nawada police station in the year 2011 and in retaliation, PACS president, Sikraul Nagesh Pandey alias Chhotkun and his elder brother Badkun were killed. Harshit Kumar was the mastermind and main accused in the murder of Chhotukan Pandey and he had been in jail in this regard.

It may be mentioned here that the areas on the banks of river Sone in Bhojpur district have been infamous for war of attrition and firing is order of the day. Last year two persons were killed in exchange of fire for supremacy in the area under Koelwar police station and again one person was killed in the evening on October 20, 2023 for the same reason. The deceased Harshit Singh is said to be shooter of dreaded criminal Ranjeet Chaudhary and Praksh Chaudhary, his nephew was injured. Retaliatory murder cannot be ruled out. It may be said here that Durgesh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh cum a staff of Mannpuram Bank and Sanjeet Kumar of Naubatpur in Patna district were killed in an exchange of fire at Kamaluchak sand ghat of Rajapur diara area under Koelwar police station on January 21, 2022 though most of the accused in the case were arrested and sent to jail.