Man lynched in Bihar after opening fire during quarrel

A man was beaten to death in Jamui district after he allegedly shot at and wounded a person following a scuffle, police said on Thursday, the third such instance of mob frenzy in Bihar in a week.

The incident occurred at Aliganj Bazar on Wednesday after a mob got infuriated when Amar Singh whipped out a gun during a quarrel and fired at Bablu Yadav, district Superintendent of Police Jagunath Jalareddy said.

Singh had picked up a quarrel with an auto-rickshaw driver and Yadav sought to intervene. He shot at Yadav on his foot, leaving the teacher severely wounded, Jalareddy said.

Singh panicked as he saw a crowd surging towards him in rage and sought shelter in a cycle repair shop nearby. He was dragged out and beaten to death by the mob, which also set the shop on fire, the SP said.

Hearing about the incident, many supporters of Singh rushed to the spot and clashed with the attackers. A police team reached the spot and the mob was dispersed, the officer said.

No arrests have been made so far and there is heavy police deployment in the area, Jalareddy said.

Yadav has gone to another district for treatment and no FIR has been lodged from his side so far. On the other hand, Singh's relatives are busy with the funeral, the officer said. "We will lodge FIRs and begin an investigation once we record statements from both sides."