Patna: A 20-year-old youth was killed during a Durga idol immersion procession in Patna City on Wednesday night after a dispute over the playing of music turned violent, local media reported. The incident took place around 9.30 pm near Gujri Bazaar and Pashchim Darwaza on Ashok Rajpath, under the Khajekalan police station area.
Source: Dinman Times
The victim was identified as Kundan Kumar, son of Nagendra Thakur, a resident of Tikiya Toli in the Khajekalan area. According to people in the procession quoted in the reports, three to four attackers allegedly dragged him into the lane in front of the Commercial Tax office and stabbed him repeatedly. He was rushed to hospital and referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where he died during treatment, City SP (East) Shailja said, according to the reports.
Source: The News Post
Shailja said preliminary investigation suggested that a member of a puja committee had stabbed the youth, and that police were also examining a possible dispute involving committee members. DSP Shiv Shankar Kumar confirmed that an investigation was under way and that police were questioning people connected with the case, including the victim's family.
Source: Patna Press
The accounts above are based on local media reporting of the police investigation. The alleged role of any puja committee member is an allegation under investigation and has not been established in court. Some reports alleged that an orchestra trolley in the procession was vandalised; police denied any such vandalism took place.
The attack triggered panic and briefly halted the immersion procession. Police took charge of the situation, and DSP Shiv Shankar Kumar himself drove a vehicle to move the procession forward; the immersion of the idols was subsequently completed peacefully, the reports said.
Police said the investigation is continuing to identify and arrest those responsible. Awaaz Punjab will update this story as Patna Police issue further details.