Ranvir Sena chief killing: Nitish Kumar asks people to maintain calm

With Bihar on high alert following the killing of Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh alias ‘Mukhiya’, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday appealed to natives of the state to maintain calm, and assured that the guilty would be punished.

“We appeal to all to maintain calm and patience. Proper investigation will be done. Action would be taken against the guilty as per the law. All senior officials are at the site,” Kumar told media in Bhagalpur

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav had earlier in the day demanded a CBI probe into the murder and asked the chief minister to visit the murder site

Stating that the law and order situation in Bihar has deteriorated, Yadav said: “Ranvir Sena Chief Mukhiyaji is not a small name amongst the farmers of Bihar. The people in the area and across the state are very upset.

Janata Dal United (JD-U) leader Shivanand Tiwari had also condemned Mukhiya’s murder, and highlighted that political motivation would be behind his killing

“The kind of age and health Brahmeshwar Singh 'Mukhiya' was he in no way was a threat or obstacle in anyone's way. So, we can't rule out that his murder was not politically motivated. It is only after a probe by police can we come to any conclusion,” he told media in New Delhi

Tiwari also urged irate locals in Arrah to refrain from violence while expressing their angst against Mukhiya's killing

“I understand that people are angry because of this murder and we are making efforts by contacting members of the civil society to help in calming down protestors. The administration is also allowing some time for the irate agitators to cool down. We are hoping that wisdom dooms on the protestors and people will prove helpful in establishing peace and normalcy,” he said

The situation in Bihar’s Arrah town is tense at the moment. As the news of the killing spread, hundreds of Sena supporters gathered at the site of the killing and shouted anti-government slogans. Supporters of the Ranvir Sena have also set buses and offices on fire

Apprehending unrest, the concerned authorities imposed restrictions on assembly and movement of more than five persons in the open at Arrah and certain other towns of Bihar today

SK Bhardwaj, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), said that the government had resolved to impose Section 144 of Indian Penal Code that restricts gathering of more than five persons in public places

“We have alerted all the districts across the state. We have appealed to the people to maintain peace and also a climate of social and communal harmony. Very soon we fill arrest the culprits behind this heinous crime and thorough investigations will be carried out in this case,” said Bhardwaj

Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh Mukhiya was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Bihar’s Bhojpur District on Friday morning. Singh was on a morning walk near his house when unidentified assailants shot him.

Mukhiya, who was earlier facing life imprisonment in various carnage cases, was acquitted and released from jail in April this year

Ranvir Sena is a right-wing upper-caste landlord militia mainly based in Bihar, India. This group is thought to be formed by Bhumihar Brahmin landlords. It carries out actions against Dalits and other members of the scheduled caste community as well as the Naxalites. The Ranvir Sena has been connected to many murders, rapes and thefts. It has, on several occasions, been accused of human rights abuses. It is regarded as a terrorist group

The Ranvir Sena has committed violent acts against Naxalite sympathisers and other members of the militant communist party. The Bihar Government banned the Ranvir Sena in July 1995 and since then the Ranvir Sena remains proscribed.