PATNA: Union minister and HAM patron Jitan Ram Manjhi’s grand daughter was shot dead by her husband allegedly over extra-marital affair in Bihar’s Gaya district, police said on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Sushma Devi, a resident of Tetua village in Gaya district.
The incident took place when Sushma’s husband Ramesh, a driver by profession, reached home late on Tuesday. He was taken aback after seeing a youth in Sushma’s room. This led to a quarrel between husband and wife. Sushma tried to pacify Ramesh, but he was not in a mood to relent.
A few minutes later, Ramesh whipped out a country-made pistol and fired at Sushma from point blank range. She fell unconscious after receiving the gunshot injury and was taken to a hospital at Gaya where she was declared dead. Ramesh, in the meantime, threw the weapon in the room and fled the spot.
Sushma’s sister Poonam said that Ramesh returned home from Patna around 12 pm. “I along with my sister’s children were in a separate room. A fight broke out between husband and wife over some issue. During the fight, Ramesh whipped out a pistol and shot at my sister,” Poonam told the police.
Poonam further told the police that she rushed to Sushma’s room after hearing the gunshot. “My sister was lying in a pool of blood. She succumbed to her injuries,” she said in her choked voice. She demanded that the police to initiate immediate steps to arrest the culprit as they apprehended threat to their lives from him as well.
“He may attempt on the lives of other members of the family. He should be taken into custody at the earliest and sent to jail,” Poonam told this reporter over the phone.
Sushma worked as Vikas Mitra—an individual who works as a link between the state government and the society for development initiatives under the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gaya, Anand Kumar, said that a special team has been constituted to trace the assailant, who is absconding after the incident. He confirmed that the weapon used in the crime has been recovered from the spot.
“A forensic team has been set up to collect evidence from the spot. Further investigation is underway,” he told this reporter over the phone.
Sources said that Sushma and Ramesh belong to different castes and married about 14 years ago.
Attempts to contact Jitan Ram Manjhi for his comments proved futile. The deceased was Manjhi’s ‘natini’ (granddaughter), locals said.
Meanwhile, leader of opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav slammed chief minister Nitish Kumar over deteriorating law and order situation in the state. “The law and order have collapsed completely in Bihar,” he alleged.