Lagatar24 Desk

Hajipur: In a shocking incident on Tuesday evening, Pankaj Rai, a local councillor and member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was brutally shot dead at his house in Hajipur, Bihar. The attack occurred when three armed assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on Mr. Rai when he was inside a nearby garment shop.

The newly elected councillor, representing Ward No. 5, ran to his residence in a desperate attempt to escape the gunmen. However, the attackers pursued him into his house and fired several shots, hitting him three times. Despite immediate efforts by his family and neighbours to rush him to the hospital, Mr Rai was declared dead on arrival.

Following the incident, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav strongly criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for their alleged failure in maintaining law and order in the state. “NDA goons led by Nitish Kumar shot dead district councillor Pankaj Rai in Hajipur. The chief minister and his deputies are unaware of the chaos their supporters are creating,” Mr Yadav observed.

According to police reports, Mr Rai had already lodged a complaint about a dispute six months before the fatal attack. His family claims that no action was taken on his concerns.

Following the murder, senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police Har Kishore Rai, visited the crime scene and the hospital to collect details and offer condolences to the grieving family. Police have launched a thorough investigation, including a review of CCTV footage from the area, to identify and arrest the suspects.

RJD MP Mukesh Roshan, who was present at the hospital, condemned the incident and called it a clear failure of the government. “Pankaj Rai was a committed RJD worker. His killing in his own house shows the desolate state of law and order in Bihar. This is nothing less than ‘jungle raj’,” he said.