Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi Monday demanded a CBI probe into the death of Gaya resident Amarjit Singh in Surat.
The 32-year-old Amarjit Singh, who had been living and working in Surat for over a decade, died on Friday with the police claiming that he was killed in a road mishap. There were, however, media reports which quoted the man's family members as alleging that he was beaten to death by a mob.
Incidents of attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants were reported in some districts of Gujarat earlier this month after the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district and arrest of a worker from Bihar for the crime.
Surat is believed to have the highest number of migrant workers among all cities in Gujarat.
Surat police commissioner Satish Sharma Sunday said the evidence shoed that the deceased, Amarjit Singh, died after his motorcycle hit a tree.
Manjhi, who hails from Gaya and represents an assembly segment in the district, said in a statement that he will soon meet the bereaved family members, besides demanding a probe by the central probe agency and an ex-gratia of Rs one crore to the next of the kin of the deceased.
On Sunday, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had said at a function that "prima facie" Amarjit's death was caused by a motorcycle crash. He had also blamed Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor for attacks on Hindi-speaking people and criticized the party for failure to take action against him.
The CPI (ML) Liberation sent a team to Kaudiya village in Gaya, to which Amarjit belonged, and met the father of the deceased who is a retired BSF jawan.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)