Youth killed by alleged liquor smugglers in Patna’s Phulwarisharif block
Patna,(BiharTimes): Residents of Maurya Vihar in Phulwarisharif blocked the Patna-Khagaul main road at Khagaul Lak for almost eight hours and went on the rampage against a Mahadalit Tola after 20 year old Chandan Kumar was killed allegdly by liquor mafia on Sunday. The protestors put the body on the road and demanded action against all those involved in the incident.
Though Chandan had apparently gone to Govindpur Musahari to fetch cricket ball it is said that he had been continuously opposing liquor smuggling in his locality.
Locals alleged that some policemen were hand in glove with the bootleggers.
This is not the first such incident of its kind to take place after prohibition. Recently liquor mafia retaliated in Rohtas district after their activities were informed to high ups in police.
Chandan’s body was found in a canal near the colony by his family members an hour after he had left home.
The irate mob damaged some houses in Govindpur Musahari and also pelted stones on the police party.
The situation took an ugly turn when youths from both sides indulged in stone-pelting. About a dozen people, including passers by received injuries.
Police had to fire two rounds in the air to disperse the warring groups.
Chandan, an undergraduate student, was the son of Ajay Sharma, who runs a small dairy at Khagaul Lak. He is originally from Sona village at Naubatpur in rural Patna.
Patna superintdent of police (west) Ravindra Kumar and police personnel from Phulwari and Khagaul rushed to the spot.
According to the SSP Manu Maharaaj the situation has been brought under control. The police are conducting raids to nab the criminals who were involved in the incident. He denied that the people who attacked Chandan were drinking liquor.
However, residents of the area claimed that many people from the Mahadalit Tola brew liquor and the police had full knowledge of such activities.
They said Maurya Vihar residents had complained to police but the police turned a deaf ear.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP C.P. Thakur, who reached the spot, said while on one hand chief minister Nitish Kumar is beating drums on successful implementation of prohibition, a youth is killed by some alcoholics in the capital. He also said there were many areas in the state capital where liquor is being manufactured and sold illegally but the police remain mute spectators. The BJP leader claimed that after prohibition the crime rate in the state and the capital has gone up as police are busy seizing liquor.
Meanwhile, the Patna police shifted Phulwarisharif police station house officer Mustafa Kamal Kaiser to the Police Lines. On the directive of the SSP, nine police officials were shifted from different police stations.
Dharmendra Kumar, earlier posted at Police Lines, has been made the new SHO of Phulwarisharif police station.
