Killing Field in Phulwarisharif
Patna: July 7, 2008
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Killing Field in Phulwarisharif
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Photo by Anupam Singh |
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In one of the most gruesome killings in Patna district in recent years, unidentified criminals in Mohammedpur village under Phulwarisharif police station on Sunday night clubbed three members of a family and killed two others during their escape from the crime scene.
Two other members of the same family were brutally beaten up and left to die only to survive, at least for now, and were rushed to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) where there chance of survival remains, at best, minimal.
The carnage began sometimes after midnight when over a dozen men armed with bats and iron rods entered into the house of Bhola Sharma (65) and beat him and his wife Saraswati (60) to death. Both were asleep when the criminals unleashed their terror before turning their attention towards Sharma's daughter Sanju Devi (35), son-in-law Mahesh Singh (38), and grandsons Suryakant (8) and Rishikant (10).
While Sanju Devi, her husband, and her 10-year old son Rishikant received serious injuries, 8-year old Suryakant later died at the hospital.
According to the police officials, the killers, during their flight from the crime scene, ran into Chandrama Yadav and his son Bindeshwar Yadav of Lakshmichak village. The two men, who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, were also bludgeoned to death and their bodies thrown into a ditch near a canal.
 As reported, the neighbors of the victims who were busy celebrating the engagement of a family member, later came to the Sharma's house to share food with them when they discovered the grisly crime.
Top police officials rushed to the crime scene and were stunned by the sheer brutality of the crime. "It was as if the criminals wanted to doubly sure all members of the family were dead before they left their house," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amit Kumar said.
Bihar leaders, as soon as the news of the carnage spread, started to arrive at the crime scene to review the situation.
Energy Minister Ramashray Singh, Cooperative Minister Giriraj Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Ram Kripal Yadav, Shyam Rajak, and Nihora Prasad Yadav, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dr. C. P. Thakur, and local legislator Asha Sinha were among some of the leaders who visited Mohammedpur and talked to the survivors and other villagers.
Representing the Chief Minister, Ramashray Singh said the criminals would be brought to justice and monetary compensation would be given to the victims' family.
The Energy Minister also directed District Magistrate Jitendra Kumar Sinha to quickly provide arms license to the people in Mohammedpur to defend themselves from criminals in the area.
A stunned Chief Minister ordered formation of a special investigative team of Bihar's top police officials to catch the killers of the Sharmas and the Yadavs.
 "CID and other investigative agencies would also be brought into play to apprehend the killers," Nitish Kumar said adding the government would do everything in its might to ensure maximum punishment is delivered to the killers upon their arrests.
SSP Amit Kumar ruled out communal, caste, or Naxalite element of the carnage saying both families belonged to lower castes and the crime was committed by local criminals only to spread terror in the region.
Meanwhile, the entire Mohammedpur village has been turned into an army barrack of sort with dozens of armed policemen equipped with anti-riot gear including Vajra vehicle patrolling the area to prevent any uprising from the angry villagers or a repeat of last night's carnage.
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