Lagatar24 Desk
Hajipur: In a chilling incident on Tuesday evening, Pankaj Rai, a local councillor and member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was brutally shot dead inside his home in Bihar’s Hajipur. The attack occurred when three armed assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on Mr. Rai while he was at a nearby clothing shop.
The councillor, newly elected and representing Ward No. 5, ran towards his residence in a desperate attempt to escape the gunmen. However, the attackers pursued him into his house and fired multiple rounds, striking him three times. Despite immediate efforts by his family and neighbors to rush him to the hospital, Mr. Rai was declared dead on arrival.
In the aftermath of the incident, RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav fiercely criticized Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for their alleged failure to maintain law and order in the state. “NDA goons, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, shot dead Ward Councillor Pankaj Rai in Hajipur. The Chief Minister and his deputies are oblivious to the chaos being caused by their supporters,” Mr. Yadav remarked.
According to police reports, Mr. Rai had previously lodged a complaint regarding a dispute six months before the fatal attack. His family claims that no action was taken in response to his concerns.
Following the murder, senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police (SP) Har Kishore Rai, visited the crime scene and the hospital to gather details and offer condolences to the bereaved family. The police have launched a thorough investigation, including a review of CCTV footage from the area, to identify and apprehend the suspects.
RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan, who was present at the hospital, condemned the incident, calling it a clear failure of governance. “Pankaj Rai was a dedicated RJD worker. His murder inside his own home highlights the dire state of law and order in Bihar. This is nothing short of ‘jungle raj,'” he stated.
