Man declared dead in clash, appears in Bihar's Sitamarhi: Police

NEW DELHI: Police found a man alive on Wednesday who had initially been declared dead following a clash between two groups during the immersion of Durga Puja idols in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, in a surprising turn of events.
The incident occurred in Dheng village, located in the Suppi area, where two people had been reported dead by police on Tuesday after a clash broke out between groups from the same community following the immersion ceremony on Sunday.
The Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Ramkrishna told news agency PTI that the family of Bhagat Manjhi, who was believed to be dead while receiving treatment at a hospital in Muzaffarpur, had provided misleading information to the authorities.
"We have recorded (video) statements of the family members claiming that Manjhi succumbed to his injuries. We decided to go by the statement of his family members and we declared that he was dead. But, our investigation revealed that Manjhi is alive. We have detained him and are investigating the matter," he said.
"There is no doubt that it was an attempt by Manjhi's family to mislead the investigators," he added.
According to the SDPO, the clash between the two groups stemmed from a minor issue, during which Talewar Sahni was stabbed.
"Since the police were present at the spot, the situation was immediately brought under control and Sahni was admitted to the nearest hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on October 13," the officer said.
"The tension escalated on October 14, and another round of clash broke out between the two groups. Manjhi sustained injury on his head and his family reported that he died during treatment," he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ram Krishna had said, "A minor dispute between two groups escalated into a violent clash, during which several people were injured. While Sahni (50) was stabbed, Bharat Manjhi (55) was hit with an iron rod, when they were trying to pacify the mob.”
"The police have deployed police force in the area, and the situation is now under control. Investigation is underway and so far 20 people have been taken into custody. We are identifying others involved in the violence and they will be arrested soon," he had told the reporters.
He said the scuffle between two ‘tolas' in Dheng village initially broke out on Navami (Saturday), over playing of music. The local authorities, villagers and police, however, controlled the situation. The matter again escalated on Sunday when some social elements started fighting after idol immersion, he had added.