Ranvir Sena chief shot dead

[1]

Tension gripped Bihar after Brahmeshwar Singh, the chief of the state’s outlawed private militia of landlords, the Ranvir Sena, was shot dead on Friday by six unidentified men. The men, armed with sophisticated weapons, shot the Ranvir Sena chief several times, killing him on the spot at Katira Mohalla, under Nawada police station, 71 km from Patna.
A violent backlash, which started in the district town of Arrah in Bhojpur district, spread rapidly to other parts of the state. Curfew was clamped in Arrah but was lifted in the afternoon after a high-level review of the situation by senior state officials. However, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC would remain in force. Sub-divisional police officer Dharmesh Kumar said that the “situation is tense but under control”. A special team has been set up by the Bihar police to track the killers of Brahmeshwar Singh, alias Mukhiyaji, who was reportedly on his morning walk when the fatal attack took place.
Union home secretary R.K. Singh will visit Bihar on Saturday to review the law and order situation following the killing f the Ranvir Sena chief. The home ministry is in constant touch with officials of the Bihar government and is keeping an eye on the developing situation.
The Bihar government has so far not sought any Central assistance. While Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar appealed for “calm” said that all possible steps were being taken to apprehend the killers, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav pounced on the opportunity and attacked the state government on what it said was a deteriorating law and order situation. Both the Congress and RJD have demanded a CBI probe into the killing.
As news of the killing spread, frenzied supporters of the Ranvir Sena were out on the streets burning buses and public property. Some local offices were set ablaze and windows of the Patna Rajdhani Express were smashed. Bihar DGP Abhay Anand was heckled when he visited Arrah.