Youth Congress leader gunned down in Bihar’s Hajipur

A leader of
Congress party’s youth wing was gunned down by unidentified men in Bihar’s
Hajipur on Saturday morning, triggering violent protests in and around the town
in Vaishali district.

Sub-divisional
police officer (Sadar), Raghav Dayal, said Rakesh Yadav, a former general
secretary of Youth Congress, was attacked when he was on his way to a gym from
his Minapur house.

As soon as
he reached Cinema Road, the two assailants on a motorcycle stopped him and shot twice at his temple from a point-blank range. The
attackers managed to flee from the scene after opening fire in the air.

Police said
the situation turned tense as soon as the news of the murder spread in the
area. Hundreds of agitators took to the streets demanding stern action against
the killers of Yadav.

A section of
protesters burnt tyres, forced shopkeepers to down their shutters and blocked
roads. People also damaged a police patrolling car and pelted stones on the
vehicle of the superintendent of police, Jagunatharaddi Jalaraddi.

They also gathered
around  Jalaraddi’s residence demanding
action against the culprits.

Local
residents told the police that Yadav had played a crucial role during the
previous Lok Sabha election and he was likely to contest the upcoming assembly
election from Hajipur constituency.

Senior
police official reached the spot and recovered three empty cartridges from the
spot. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Jalaraddi
said an investigation has been launched into the murder and a massive manhunt
is on it’s way to trace the culprits.

A large posse of police
personnel led by SDPO Dayal has been deployed on the spot in view of the
tension, police said.