A tea and snack vendor and his wife were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in the early hours of Thursday, October 22, while they were sleeping inside their shop near a local market in the Ismailpur police station area of Naugachia sub-division in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, police and local reports said.
Source: IANS via BizzBuzz
The deceased have been identified as Ranjan Mandal and his wife Kiran Devi. According to villagers cited in the reports, the assailants shot Ranjan Mandal first and then chased Kiran Devi as she fled towards the couple's nearby house, shooting her at close range. She died on the spot. Police personnel who reached the scene recovered empty bullet casings.
Source: Patna Press
The double murder sparked widespread outrage in the area. Thousands of villagers gathered at the scene, raised slogans against the police administration and refused to hand over the bodies for post-mortem examination, saying they would not allow the bodies to be moved until the perpetrators were arrested and the family was given assurances of justice.
Source: Nation Press
Missing toddler from the same family fuels anger
Villagers linked their anger to another case in the same family: Pallavi Kumari, the two-and-a-half-year-old daughter of Ranjan Mandal's brother, went missing under mysterious circumstances two days earlier and, villagers alleged, remained untraced despite the family approaching the police. The allegation about the police response is the villagers' claim and has not been independently established.
Source: Patna Press
Assistant Superintendent of Police Saiyam Raza reached the spot with personnel from Ismailpur and Gopalpur police stations to assess the situation and calm the protesters. Ismailpur station house officer Ajit Kumar began an investigation at the scene, a forensic team was called to collect evidence, and investigators were reported to be using a dog squad and technical methods to identify the suspects and establish a motive. No arrest had been reported at the time of these reports.
Source: Patna Press