5 shot dead,set afire in Banka

A former mukhiya and four of his supporters were shot dead and and the jeep they were travelling in torched in Banka on Saturday evening.

The incident took place at around 7 pm under Bausi police station when the jeep former Sanga Ghutia headman Prayag Yadav and his four supporters were travellign in was stopped near Kohladih village. Over 50 assailants,said to be rivals of Yadav,first hurled crude bombs at the jeep. When the jeep overturned,all five of its occupants were shot dead. The assailants later torched the jeep in a bid to burn the bodies and destroy evidence.

Most of the assailants were bicycle-bound. They first hurled bombs to unbalance the jeep and later opened fire. Old enmity could be a possible reason for the attack. The two groups had been fighting with each other for dominance since the victim lost the last panchayat election, said Banka SP Shyam Kumar.

Preliminary investigation suggested that current mukhiya Babulal Yadav might be behind the killings. Fifteen people including Yadav have been named in the FIR lodged at Bausi police station and one Muso Yadav has been arrested.