Patna Jul 16 (IANS): The gruesome murder of Jitan Sahani (70), father of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, in Bihar’s Darbhanga district shocked the people on Tuesday.
His body was found lying on a bed in the two-storey ancestral house located in Azfala Panchayat under Birol police station in the district.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has directed the state police to conduct an inquiry at the highest level. Kumar also spoke to Mukesh Sahani, expressing grief over the murder and assuring quick action.
Besides CM Nitish Kumar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, also consoled Mukesh Sahani and other members of the family.
The Darbhanga police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP Rural Kamya Mishra to probe the case. The SIT has scanned CCTV footage from areas adjoining the crime scene and detained two suspects over their suspicious activities.
A Forensic Science Laboratory team collected evidence from the crime scene, including fingerprints. Three glasses were found in the victim's room, a large box was discovered in the backyard, and a bike was found abandoned near the house.
Jitendra Singh Gangwar, ADGP headquarters, claimed that the case would be solved soon.
Mukesh Sahani, son of Jitan Sahani, was in Mumbai when he learnt about the murder. He reached Patna on Tuesday afternoon and demanded swift action against the culprits.
“My father was killed in such a gruesome manner that it cannot be explained. Blood stains were found all over the wall. It is an unbearable pain for us. Our soul is weeping. It will be remembered as a black day for the Nishad caste, but it will not frighten us. I would like to request the Bihar government to investigate the case as quickly as possible and punish the culprits,” Sahani said.
His brother, Santosh Sahani, stated that their family had no enmity with anyone in the district.
“It is hard to understand how he was killed. I talked to my father on Monday at 8 p.m., and he was fine,” Santosh said.
Tejashwi Yadav criticized the Nitish Kumar government, condemning the poor state of law and order in Bihar. He expressed concern over the escalating violence in the state.
“Terrorism is established in the state. I have been continuously saying that in the double-engine government of Bihar, the morale of the power-supported, power-protected, and power-sponsored government criminals has increased so much that they can kill anyone whenever they want and wherever they want,” Tejashwi Yadav said.
Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary called the incident extremely unfortunate and promised that the strongest action would be taken against the culprits.
Numerous NDA and Grand Alliance leaders, including Madan Sahani, Shahnawaz Hussain, RJD MLC Sunil Singh, Maheshwar Hazari, RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav, BJP leader Rituraj Sinha, and Union Minister Rajbhushan Choudhary, expressed grief and consoled the family members of the deceased.
The cremation of Jitan Sahani was held late Tuesday.