Husbands of three village heads killed in Bihar

Patna, Aug 21 (IANS) Political killings continue in Bihar ahead of the panchayat elections as three persons, who were husbands of village panchayat heads, were killed in separate incidents on Saturday.

In the first incident, Raj Kumar Shah, husband of Asha Devi who is the village head of Bankh panchayat, was gunned down on Patna's outskirts in Maner sub-town.

Shah had visited a Lord Shiva temple for performing puja in Narhanwa village on the last day of Shravan. While returning to his native village in Kanhauli, some miscreants surrounded him.

"They asked Shah to stop his bike near Kanhauli. As soon as he stopped the bike, one of the miscreants shot at him, killing him on the spot," said Santosh Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Danapur sub-division, who reached the spot for investigation.

Following the incident, the accused fled from the spot.

As news of the killing spread, a large number of villagers assembled at the crime site. They blocked the Patna-Arrah main road for an hour but left after assurances by the police that the accused would be arrested soon.

In another incident in Bihta in Patna district, unidentified assailants shot dead Pintu Saw, the husband of the village head of Painal panchayat.

"As per the statement of eyewitnesses, the attackers came on two bikes and fired indiscriminately at Saw who was on his way to Bihta. The deceased received multiple gunshot injuries and died on the spot," said an investigating officer of Bihta police station.

In the third incident in Rohtas's Lewda village under Nokha police station, a body with stab wounds was found near a canal.

The deceased was identified as Ajay Kumar Singh, husband of the Sarpanch of Lewda village panchayat.

As per the statement of the deceased's family members, Ajay went to his friend's house for a birthday party on Friday evening but did not return in the night. His body with stab wounds was found near a canal, said Rajesh Kumar, SHO of Nokha police station.

"The reasons for the killings are yet to be ascertained. However with panchayat elections around the corner, political motives cannot be ruled out," offcials said.