Pre-poll violence in Jharkhand: 3-time MLA is shot dead

The identity of the three killers, who came on a motorcycle and shot Singh at least 13 times from point-blank range, is not yet known. Singh was addressing party workers when he was attacked around 2.30 pm.

Apparently partymen fled the spot after the attack and Singh’s body lay there for more than half-an-hour before help arrived. Says the CPI-ML leader’s bodyguard Vijay Singh: ‘‘As he fell on the ground, partymen fled. The assailants hung around for quite some time and finally drove off without being challenged by anyone.’’

The body was taken to Sadar Hospital in Giridih, located around 200 km from Ranchi, for postmortem. Giridih SP Deepak Verma arrived at Durgi an hour after the shooting. By the evening a company of security forces had been deployed in the area and a combing operation was launched to nab the assailants.

Soon after news of his murder broke out, CPI-ML workers gathered at Ranchi’s Albert Ekka Chowk, demanding immediate arrest of Singh’s killers. They also shouted slogans against the Arjun Munda government and threatened to launch a statewide agitation if their demand was not met.