Arson, fifth body, ‘love’ angle keep the pot simmering in Muzaffarpur

While Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi cut short his trip to Maharashtra and returned to Patna to monitor the situation, his Cabinet ministers Ramai Ram, Mahachandra Prasad Singh and Vinay Bihari visited Azizpur and promised prompt action.

JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar also visited the village but accused police of “negligence” in failing to take action when the Hindu boy’s family had approached them eight days ago with a complaint of abduction.

Residents of Azizpur, which falls under the Saraiya police station, said that they have also heard talk of a “backlash” after police “leave the site”, and added that a Muslim religious leader has visited the village following the clash.

While police maintain that they are exploring all angles behind the death of 19-year-old Bhartendu Sahni, rival groups and residents say that it was his alleged love affair with an 18-year-old Muslim girl from Azizpur that led to the clashes.

Police have arrested who they believe is the main suspect in the case, Sadat Ahmed alias Vicky, who is the brother of the girl that Bhartendu, who belonged to the EBC category, was allegedly involved with.

Bhartendu’s body was recovered from a vacant plot around 100m from Sadat’s house near noon on Sunday after a stray dog first dug up parts of the sweater that he was wearing, police said, adding that the teenager’s throat was slit and his face badly disfigured.

“Sadat has been arrested for kidnapping and murder. We have also lodged a case against unknown people for arson and the murder of four people. We will study mobile phone locations of certain individuals to identify the accused,” said Gupteshwar Pandey, ADGP (HQ), who reached the location on Sunday.

Kamal Sahni, Bhartendu’s father, said that his son was missing since January 9, and alleged that Sadat was involved since he had fallen out with Bhartendu over the alleged love affair with his sister, a Plus Two student.

Bhartendu and Vicky’s sister did not study in the same college but reportedly kept meeting each other. Police said that Bhartendu had appeared for his final exams from LS College in Muzaffarpur and was working as a part-time electrician in Patna.

Bhartendu’s elder sister Nilam, however, played down the love angle and claimed that Sadat had killed her brother out of jealousy. “Sadat had been jealous of my brother ever since he got a first division in matriculation and Sadat failed. My brother had also got Rs 10,000 as scholarship from the state government, which made Sadat more envious.”

Bhartendu’s mother Manju blamed the police for not for acting against Sadat and his father Wasi Ahmed who, she said, was “an influential farmer”.

Bhartendu’s family claimed that police did not take any action or question Sadat after they had lodged an FIR on January 11 following Bhartendu’s disappearance. According to sources, Sadat had called Bhartendu over on January 9 to “sort out their differences”.

Witnesses said that after the boy’s body was discovered, and before police arrived, thousands of people attacked Azizpur and set fire to 37 of the 56 houses of Muslims there. While most residents fled, many women, children and the elderly escaped by locking themselves up inside a “pucca” house, which was only partially burnt.

“It was very difficult to control a mob of over 8,000 people after the recovery of Bhartendu’s body,” said a police officer.

According to Mohammed Wahid, an Azizpur resident, “I had not seen the Hindu boy in this village, but there has to be some reason behind his killing and his body being recovered from Wasi Ahmed’s backyard. It is unfortunate. We had lived in communal harmony here always.”

Wahid added that he did not know if the incident was triggered by the reported love affair between Bhartendu and Sadat’s sister. “The elders and police have to sort this out. What appears to be the mistake of one family has engulfed the entire community,” said Wahid, sitting near a torched house in the village.