Two persons from a family of six, on their way home from a Chhath puja celebration, died on Monday morning after a man fired at them in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district. According to the police, the firing took place because he had been “refused permission” to marry a woman from the family. Four other family members have been admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). Two of them, including the woman herself, are in a critical condition; the other two persons are out of danger. The accused man, who opened fire at about 7.30 a.m., is currently absconding.
The incident occurred in a Punjabi dominated locality of the district. Locals took the six victims to the Lakhisarai Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared two of them dead on arrival, referring the rest to the State capital’s PMCH for better treatment. The deceased have been identified as Chandan Jha and Rajendra Jha, the woman’s brothers.
“Ashish Choudhary, a neighbour, opened fire. After the initial investigation, we found that he and the girl were in love. Choudhary wanted to marry her, but her family objected. This went on for two to three years,” Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar said. He added that the police is looking for Mr. Choudhary, and three of his friends have been arrested.
