Two dead in post-panchayat poll violence in Bihar

Two members of a family were killed in Adarshchak village of Maoist-hit Dumaria block, 55km from the district headquarters of Gaya, in post-panchayat poll violence on Monday night.

Muzaffar Ansari and his cousin Aslam Ansari were beaten to death by rivals for allegedly violating the diktat of their community to vote for a particular candidate in the panchayat elections held on May 31. The results were announced on Monday.

Villagers said the Ansari family had voted for Pramod Yadav against the decision of their community to support Sablu Khan. Soon after Yadav was declared winner, supporters of Khan attacked the house of Muzaffar Ansari, beat him and his cousin to death with batons and traditional weapons. Many other family members, including some women, were also injured in the attack.

Police have registered a case in which 20 villagers, including seven women, have been made accused. More than a dozen villagers, including women whose names figured in the FIR, have been arrested, the police said.

Meanwhile, villagers put up a road blockade on Gaya-Dumaria road.

Dumaria sub-divisional officer NK Rajak, who is camping at the village, said the incident could be related to family dispute. “We are investigating if the killings are poll-related,” he said.