On Monday morning (20th November), a man opened fire on a family returning home after performing Chhath Puja, reportedly due to a ‘love affair‘. 6 out of the 7 family members were hit in the incident in which at least two brothers were shot dead and four other members of their family were injured.
According to the Police officials, the crime is related to a ‘love affair’ as the assailant, identified as Ashish Chaudhary, wanted to marry a girl from the victim’s family, but her family was against it. The accused attacked the family and fired bullets when they were a short distance from their home. At the time of the crime, the victim family was returning home from the ghat after offering ‘Araghya’ to the rising Sun.
Lakhisarai SP Pankaj Kumar said, “Six to seven members of a family were returning from Chhath Ghat when a man, Ashish Chaudhary who used to stay in front of the victim’s house opened fire on them. Six people were shot, out of which two are dead and three are seriously injured.”
The Police official added, “Ashish Chaudhary wanted to marry a girl belonging to the victim’s family but they were not ready for this. We are conducting an investigation, the accused will be arrested soon.”
The incident took place in the Punjabi Mohalla area that falls under the jurisdiction of the Kabaiya police station in the Lakhisarai district. Three people who are said to be in critical condition have been referred to Patna from Sadar Hospital in Begusarai.
The two individuals who lost their lives were brothers named Chandan Jha and Rajnandan Jha. Among the injured are their sister, Durga Jha, and father, Shashi Bhushan Jha. Additionally, Lovely Devi, who is married to one of the deceased, and another close relative, Preeti Devi, have also suffered injuries.
Meanwhile, another incident of firing was reported from Bihar’s Vaishali where three people were shot at reportedly over a dispute over the bursting of firecrackers.
Regarding the incident, the Police official said, “The incident took place at 9 pm on November 19 at Belka village in Vaishali district following a dispute between two groups. Three people were shot at. They have been referred to Patna for treatment. Investigation is underway.”