Gangster-turned-politician Dular Chand Yadav, once known for rubbing shoulders with the who's who of politics in Bihar, was allegedly shot dead near the state capital during an election campaign on Thursday, police said.
The incident took place in Mokama, which falls in Patna district but is situated 100 km from Patna city, where Yadav, who had of late aligned with Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, was said to have been involved in a clash with political rivals.
Patna (Rural) Superintendent of Police Vikram Sihag, who is camping at the site of the incident, said, "We have learnt that Yadav had received a bullet injury in his foot but died after being run over by a vehicle. More details will be known once we take the body for post-mortem examination."
As of now, Yadav's family members are 'not allowing anyone to get close to the body, saying they are waiting for his son to arrive', he said.
According to a statement issued by the Patna district administration, the body of Dular Chand Yadav, who has been 'named in a number of criminal cases', will be sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the cause of the death.
'A search is underway to nab those who may be involved in the killing,' it said.
Yadav, whose nephew Piyush Priyadarshi is contesting on a Jan Suraaj Party ticket from Mokama, was said to have had a showdown with supporters of Anant Singh, husband of sitting MLA Neelam Devi.
Singh has replaced her as the Janata Dal-United candidate following acquittal in a number of cases by the Patna high court.
Hordes of angry supporters of Yadav, whose name struck terror in the wetlands of Mokama till a few decades ago, had gathered at the site of the incident after his death.
When Singh was approached with questions by journalists, he said, "I was far away from the spot where Dular Chand Yadav brawled with my supporters. I do not know what exactly happened, but some of my people have complained that Yadav's henchmen vandalised their vehicles."
When the several-term ex-MLA was told that Yadav had been killed, he sought to pin the blame on the husband of his Rashtriya Janata Dal rival Veena Devi.
"It must be the handiwork of Suraj Bhan. He orchestrated the killing so that I get a bad name", Singh claimed.
When Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor was asked about the incident, he said, "A team of our party has gone to the spot. As soon as we get some details, we will tell you."
Jan Suraaj Party's national president Uday Singh told reporters, "Our candidate in Mokama is a nephew of late Dular Chand Yadav. When a cavalcade of our candidate was attacked by supporters of Anant Singh, Yadav, who was a well-known political leader of the area, tried to intervene, but was shot dead."
He also alleged that the attackers crushed Yadav under the wheels of their car.
"The police are trying to hush up the case. Any such attempt will provoke our cadres across the state," he claimed.
Jan Suraaj Party's state president Manoj Bharti, in a statement, blamed the incident on 'those who seek votes by instilling fear of jungle raj'.
"This is an assault on our democratic rights. We strongly condemn the attack on the convoy of our Mokama assembly poll candidate Priyadarshi Piyush and the killing of one of his supporters," Bharti said.
He also said all candidates had the right to carry out a public outreach programme and 'attacking them during poll campaigns, firing bullets to show dominance, and running a vehicle over a supporter to kill them is a heinous crime'.
Jan Suraaj Party's state media in-charge Obaidur Rahman said that according to an eyewitness, the incident took place around 4 pm.
Yadav, whose muscle power could never help him win an election, was known to be on good terms with Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD-U president.
The killing has stoked fears of electoral violence, on caste lines, in a state which has been witness to a lot of bloodshed of this type.
However, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma said, "A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area and appropriate action will be taken after due investigation."
Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, whose RJD is often accused of 'jungle raj' while in power, reacted to the development, saying, 'gun-toting musclemen are roaming freely in Bihar. It is a serious question mark on law and order in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should stop talking about things that happened 20 years ago and tell us what type of rule has the NDA brought'.