Bihar: Ranvir Sena supporters indulge in violence during day-long bandh

Patna: Supporters of private militia Ranvir Sena on Sunday indulged in violence and disrupted road and rail services as they observed a day-long bandh in several districts of Bihar to protest the killing of their leader Brahmeswar Singh alias Mukhiyaji.

The bandh was observed in Jehanabad, Arwal, Lakhisarai districts and rural areas of Patna district since early morning and the supporters blocked NH-110 between Jehanabad and Arwal and Patna-Gaya NH 83 by burning tyres at several places and pelting passing vehicles with stones, official sources said.

The bandh supporters also disrupted train services for hours by placing boulders on railway tracks on the Patna-Gaya route, the sources said.

Train services were disrupted, traffic was halted and shops were looted during the day-long bandh.

They set on fire a tea shop and looted others before beating up the shopkeepers in Ratni block in Jehanabad district and hurled stones at the Zila Nagar Parishad office. The situation there was brought under control by Jehanabad District Magistrate Balamurugan D and Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur.

In Arwal district too the Sena supporters halted traffic on NH 98 between Patna and Aurangabad by burning tyres. They were chased away by police, who were led by District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh and SP Vimal Kumar. Four persons were detained for blocking the national highway. Sources said shops and business establishments in areas like Karni, Imamganj, Lelma, Mehandia, Kaler, Arwal and Kurtha remained closed due to the bandh.

The Ranvir Sena supporters also observed bandh in Lakhisarai district where shops and business establishments remained closed in many places. In Patna district, the bandh supporters obstructed movement of Anand Vihar-Bhagalpur Vikramsheela Express between Mokama and Barahia stations for over an hour.

Singh was shot dead by unidentified assailants while he was taking a stroll near his house at Katira locality of Nawada in Bhojpur district two days ago. The murder had triggered large scale violence in Bhojpur as well as the state capital as his supporters indulged in arson in several government buildings and set on fire scores of vehicles to vent their fury.

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