Bhagalpur: Ramdhani Yadav, the prime accused and alleged mastermind behind the killing of Sultanganj Nagar Parishad executive officer Krishna Bhushan Kumar and the grievous attack on civic body chairperson Raj Kumar Guddu, was gunned down in a police encounter in the early hours of Wednesday.The encounter with police took place around 2.30am on Wednesday on Bypass Road, about 100 metres away from Ramdhani’s house. During the operation, led by the Special Task Force (STF) of Bhagalpur police, DSP Navneet Kumar and two police inspectors—Parameshwar and Mrityunjay— were injured in the exchange of fire between the criminals and the police team.According to sources, police on Wednesday took eight people into custody for questioning, including Ramdhani’s wife Neelam Devi, deputy chairperson of Sultanganj Nagar Parishad and his four sons.Bhagalpur range IG Vivek Kumar along with other senior police officials are interrogating the suspects, amid tight security.After Ramdhani’s killing, an autopsy of the body was conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) and handed over to his daughter.Bhagalpur SSP, Pramod Kumar Yadav, said the police identified the criminals, including the main accused, from CCTV footage. During the police raid to arrest the accused, the criminals allegedly opened fire on the police team, the SSP said, adding the police returned fire in which bullets hit Ramdhani’s abdomen.Three policemen were also injured in the exchange of fire between the criminals and the police team, the SSP said, adding injured Ramdhani was brought to the JLNMCH for treatment. “He died during treatment at the JLNMCH,” the SSP, adding the injured policemen are undergoing treatments at the same hospital.Police are verifying the criminal histories of the suspect and Ramdhani. He said one of the criminals Dipak is accused of a murder committed in the past whereas the brother-in-law of Ramdhani, who is also suspected to be involved in the attack on officers, has a criminal history.On Tuesday, a group of armed criminals, under the guise of workers, stormed into the Sultanganj Nagar Parishad office and shot the executive officer Krishna Bhushan Kumar four times from close range inside his official chamber, killing him on the spot. During the incident, the chairperson Raj Kumar Guddu, also a BJP functionary, was also shot in the head and chest.JLNMCH doctors said the condition of Guddu, who was rushed to Patna, remains serious.Sources said, Ramdhani was at loggerheads with Guddu over some personal disputes, including tenders of development projects under Sultanganj Nagar Parishad. The criminals had allegedly come to kill Guddu, but when the executive officer resisted, they opened fire at both of them. The executive officer Krishna Bhushan Kumar’s wife is an administrative officer in Uttar Pradesh.Meanwhile, senior intelligence officials, including CID, visited the Sultanganj Nagar Parishad office and inspected the crime spot to reconstruct the entire sequence of the crime captured in the CCTV cameras. They also tracked the movement of the accused.CM Samrat Choudhary while expressing shock over the killing of Sultanganj Nagar Parishad executive officer Krishna Bhushan Kumar announced Rs25 lakh aid to the family of the slain officer. In his condolence message, the CM also announced that the mortal remains of the slain officer would be consigned to flames under full state honour as a mark of respect for his service and sacrifice. Choudhary said the incident is tragic and the death of the officer is a great loss to public service. The executive officer’s commitment to his duty and bravery will always be remembered, added the CM.
