Bihar: Lawyer shot dead in Saharsa, investigation underway

A 48-year-old lawyer was shot dead by unidentified armed men on motorcycles near Bhoura village on National Highway-105 in Bihar’s Saharsa district on Monday, police said.

The lawyer, identified as Dularchand Sharma, was shot dead around 8.40 am, which is the second such incident in Saharsa in the last five months. The police have not been able to determine the motive, but initially suspect old enmity.

Lawyers of Saharsa Civil Court raised slogans against police and boycotted work, leading to disruption of proceedings. The protesting lawyers demanded immediate arrest of the criminals responsible for the murder.

According to police, the incident took place when Sharma was on his way to Simri Bakhtiarpur railway station to catch a train. As soon as he reached a remote spot near Bhoura village, the attackers intercepted him and fired indiscriminately from close range. At least two bullets hit him on the head, while another hit his waist as he collapsed on the road.

Locals rushed him to a local hospital in critical condition, where doctors referred him to Saharsa district hospital, but he succumbed to injuries on the way. Simri Bakhtiyarpur SDPO and other police officials rushed to the spot and recovered five empty cartridges from the killing site. The forensic team has collected the evidence and the autopsy of the deceased is underway.

“The lawyer succumbed to his injuries on the way to Saharsa Hospital. Police have constituted an SIT to identify the attackers and arrest them at the earliest,” Saharsa SP Himansu said, adding that prima facie it seemed like old enmity and threats from some rival neighbors.

“Sharma was coming to Saharsa Civil Court when unknown assailants on a bike intercepted and shot at him,” said lawyer Uday Shankar Jha, adding that the association will go on indefinite strike if the killers are not arrested within 24 hours.

Many interest groups in the capital Patna condemned the murder.

“We demand the arrest of the perpetrators, completion of investigation within fourteen days and completion of trial within 24 hours,” said Shashi Kant, Sunil Kumar and Kranti Kumar of the Patna District and Sessions Court, adding that it incident reflects the bad law and order situation in Bihar.