BEGUSARAI: Police on Saturday arrested three persons in connection with firing at the house of Bakhri
RJD MLA Upendra Paswan. Though the legislator escaped unhurt, his supporter Naval Kishore Sahni, headmaster of a local school, who was seated beside him, received bullet injuries in his stomach and was admitted to a private hospital.
Paswan was at his residence at Kumharso village on Friday when two motorcycle-borne miscreants fired three bullets, police said.
Begusarai SP Aditya Kumar said before opening fire at the MLA's house, the miscreants had fired indiscriminately near a petrol pump at Kumharso, injuring one Sanjiv Kumar Mahto, a resident of Alauli village in Khagaria district.
The SP, who rushed to the spot after the incident, said after conducting intensive raids in the area, police arrested Suraj Choudhary, a resident of Hasanpur in Samastipur district and one Raju Singh of Chhoti Eghu village under Begusarai Mufassil police station. Suraj's father Abhay Choudhary, a petty contractor at the parking zone outside the Garhpura railway station, was also arrested. A few days back, Suraj and Raju had clashed with shopkeepers outside the Garhpura railway station over a trivial issue and allegedly threatened them with dire consequences.
"The shopkeepers had brought the matter to the notice of the MLA, who, in turn, asked the main contractor of the parking lot to rid them of the job. This angered Suraj and Raju, who opened fire on Friday to create panic in the area. If the locals are to be believed, the duo were under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident," the SP added.
Apart from the motorcycle used in the crime, police have also recovered two country-made pistols, four live cartridges and a cellphone from the possession of the arrested persons. The SP said both Abhay and his son have criminal antecedents. "Abhay is involved in at least 12 criminal cases under different police stations in Begusarai and Samastipur districts," the SP added.
Meanwhile, MLA Paswan has dubbed the incident as a bid on his life. His guards were also beside him when the incident took place. However, they had little time to react as the assailants opened fire from the speeding motorcycle.
