Oppn in Bihar decries abduction and murder of anti-CAA

The opposition in Bihar on Thursday expressed shock over the "abduction and murder" of an 18- year-old youth who went missing last month on a day the state witnessed anti-CAA protests and whose decomposed, mutilated body was recovered from a pit more than a week later. According to SHO, Phulwarisharif police station, Rafeequr Rehman, a complaint had been lodged by the brother of Amir Hanzla, a resident of Haroon Nagar locality, on December 21 that the boy had gone out in the morning to take part in an anti-CAA rally but did not return even after 12 hours.

Notably, a state-wide bandh was organized by Lalu Prasads RJD on December 21 against the amended Citizenship Act, which was supported by alliance partners like Congress as also the Left parties. "We lodged an FIR against 12 persons, four of whom have been arrested so far. Amirs body was recovered from a pit, where it was rotting in the midst of a thick growth of hyacinth, on December 30.

"After post mortem, the body was handed over to his family members and efforts are on to nab the other accused", the SHO said. Those named in the FIR were locals who had, on the day of the bandh, hit the streets raising slogans "in support of" CAA and NRC and clashed with demonstrators opposing these, he added.

Rattled by the incident, state RJD president Jagadanand Singh on Thursday set up a fact-finding team, which would visit Phulwari Sharif on Friday and submit its report for further action. The five-member committee comprises state vice presidents Ashok Kumar Singh and Tanveer Hasan, state president of the craftsmens cell Madan Sharma and state general secretary Nirala Yadav and state secretary Nirbhay Ambedkar, Singh told PTI.

"A communication has been sent to the concerned officials in the district and police administration so that they cooperate with the team, which shall submit its report in three days", he added. Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan, who is among those named in the FIR lodged against top opposition leaders in connection with the bandh, expressed outrage over the Amirs death and demanded "speedy trial".

"The incident raises a question mark over Chief Minister Nitish Kumars claim of good governance. Here is an 18-year- old boy, abducted by small-time thugs of his locality, who murder him and dump his body to a spot that is close to the office of the Deputy SP", Khan said. "We demand expeditious arrests of all the accused, investigation into any complicity on part of the police and a speedy trial so that all those who are guilty, directly or indirectly, are brought to justice", the MLA said.

Police sources said on condition of anonymity that the accused had pounced upon Amir while he was raising anti-CAA, anti-NRC slogans. After dragging him to a secluded spot, the accused had apparently held him hostage for more than a day during which they subjected him to immense physical torture which included stabbing with sharp-edged objects, causing profuse bleeding and resulting in death, they said..

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