Army jawan dead, 2 others injured in shooting over property dispute in Bihar’s Saran

An army jawan was shot dead and two of his kin injured at Tilkar village in Saran district of Bihar allegedly over a property dispute on Tuesday. The dispute was over a plot of land, said the police.

Police said a case has been registered against nine named accused, all said to relatives of the deceased, Gajendra Mishra. A First Information Report was lodged on the basis of the statement of Mishra’s brother under Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Mishra, 38, was posted in Jharkhand and was home on leave on July 17.

Saran superintendent police Santosh Kumar said the incident occurred around 9pm on Tuesday when the deceased, along with his brother Anand (also posted in the army) and nephew Anubhav reached the Kali Temple for a meeting to resolve the issue of disputed ancestral property. An eyewitness said that two unidentified miscreants were arguing with the army jawan and one of them fired twice at him. One of the bullets hit Mishra on the chest while Anand and Anubhav received splinters injury. The accused fled the scene.

The three men were taken to the nearby primary health centre, but as Mishra’s condition was serious, he was shifted to the Sadar hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Police suspect that professional killers were engaged for the crime.