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Bhagalpur, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A tea and snack vendor and his wife were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bihar's Bhagalpur district early Thursday, triggering protests as villagers refused to let police take the bodies for post-mortem examinations.
The victims, identified as Ranjan Mandal and his wife, Kiran Devi, were sleeping inside their shop near a local market in the Ismailpur police station area of the Naugachia sub-division when the attackers struck.
According to villagers, the assailants shot Ranjan first. His wife attempted to flee towards their nearby house but was chased and shot twice in the eyes, dying at the spot.
The double murder triggered widespread anger, with thousands of residents gathering at the scene and raising slogans against the police administration. Protesters demanded the immediate arrest of the killers and assurances that justice would be delivered to the family. They refused to allow the bodies to be removed until their demands were addressed.
The incident has also intensified concerns among residents over an unresolved missing-child case. Villagers said the two-and-a-half-year-old daughter of Ranjan's brother went missing under mysterious circumstances two days earlier. They alleged that the child remained untraced despite the family approaching the police.
Angry residents questioned the local police over the two incidents and alleged that the situation reflected a deterioration in law and order.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Sayam Raza reached the spot with a large police contingent in an attempt to calm the protesters. Teams from the Ismailpur and Gopalpur police stations were also deployed.
Police inspected the crime scene and recovered empty bullet casings. Investigators have launched a search operation to identify and arrest the assailants, using local inputs and evidence gathered during the preliminary investigation.
The situation remained tense as police continued efforts to persuade the villagers to allow the bodies to be taken for post-mortem examinations.