Ex-Katihar Mayor Shivraj Paswan shot dead in Bihar; opposition flays 'rising crime graph'

In a shocking incident in Bihar, former Katihar Mayor Shivraj Paswan was killed by two unidentified gunmen while he was returning home from work on Thursday night. He had a real estate business. As per Katihar Deputy Superintendent of Police Amar Kant Jha, Paswan was shot thrice in the chest near the Santoshi Mandir Chowk area in the town. Despite being rushed to the Katihar Medical College, he succumbed to his injuries. 

Speaking on the murder, Bihar ADG (Headquarters) Jitendra Kumar stated, "In the Katihar incident where ex-Mayor was killed yesterday, FIR was registered against 11 known and other unidentified persons. Of which, four people have been arrested. A special team has also been formed to arrest other accused." 

Notably, Shivraj Paswan was elected unopposed as the Mayor in March this year after it fell vacant owing to Vijay Singh winning the Barari Assembly by-election. But, he functioned as the Mayor only until June when the tenure of the elected members came to an end. As of now, the day-to-day affairs of the Municipal Corporation are being managed by an Administrator. 

Opposition cries foul over murder

As Paswan's murder sent shockwaves across the political spectrum, the opposition decried the law and order situation in the state. For instance, LJP national president Chirag Paswan contended that crime has reached its peak in Bihar. According to him, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should worry about the fact that the morale of criminals is very high. 

Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "The law and order situation is visible to all. We had put forth the crime-related data on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. In Bihar, people are being killed akin to goats. Murder, loot and rape keep happening at every place. That's why we have been continuously raising our voices. But it is rare that a Mayor has been murdered. We strongly condemn this and seek a probe. The culprits should get the strictest punishment." 

Meanwhile, Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) supremo Pappu Yadav wrote on Twitter, "The Mayor of the city from which the Deputy CM hails has been murdered. Thieves and criminals are causing havoc. But the administration is not visible anywhere". Even as the Bihar government is facing a backlash, former Deputy CM and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi rushed to its defence. He asserted, "The law and order situation in Bihar is much better than other states. No culprit will go scot-free. This is not the era of RJD rule. The culprits will be caught in the next one-two days".