The women are being treated at a government-run hospital in Bethia.
Patna:
Five women were shot dead in a village in Bihar’s Bettiah district during a land dispute. All are in the hospital, fighting for their lives. The man allegedly responsible has been arrested. The shooting started when the women went into land protest mode in Nakti Patwara village in West Champhalan district, police said.
Villagers claim the land was part of a government grant in 1985 for landless laborers. Subsequently, the matter went to court due to the claims of the dispossessed persons. The court has frozen the land since 2004.
But this morning, former owner Shishir Dubey brought in a tractor and forcibly tried to work the land. When the women protested, he drew a gun and shot at them, wounding five of them, police said.
Senior police officers were rushed to the area immediately, the source said.
Police then dispatched teams to comb the area before arresting the accused. Investigations will also continue, police said.
“The police are investigating the whole incident. In the end, whose land is this? One person has been detained and questioned in connection with the shooting,” said Bettiah Police Superintendent Upendranath Verma.
The firearm used in the shooting will be examined by the forensic unit and action will be taken based on the results.
The women are being treated at a government-run hospital in Bethia.
