NEW DELHI, Apr 9: The granddaughter of Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi was shot dead allegedly by her husband following a quarrel at their home in Tetua village in Gaya district in Bihar on Tuesday night, police said.
The victim Sushma Devi was at home with her children and sister Poonam Devi when she was fired upon. The incident was reported to the police by Poonam Devi who said a fight broke out between Sushma and her husband Ramesh, after the latter returned home from work at around 12pm. It was during the fight that Ramesh allegedly took out a country-made pistol and fired at Poonam, before fleeing the spot.
She said she and Sushma’s children were present in another room. When they rushed to Sushma Devi’s room, they found her lying in a pool of blood and died on the spot. , rushed towards the victim’s room, they found her lying in a pool of blood. She died on the spot. Local residents also rushed to the house on hearing the sound of a gunshot but by the time she was dead.
“He came from Patna. We demand the death penalty for Ramesh. He should be hanged for killing my sister. My sister is no more,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from Mr Manjhi, who is elected to the Lok Sabha from Gaya. He is also the founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), an ally of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar.
Sushma worked as a “Vikas Mitra” – an individual who acts as a link between the state government and society for development initiatives under the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission – while Ramesh drives a truck in Patna.
Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anand Kumar said a special team has been formed to trace the accused. “A forensic team and technical experts have been sent to the crime scene to collect evidence. Further probe is underway,” he said.
Sources said Sushma and Ramesh belong to different castes. They had married 14 years ago.
(Manas Dasgupta)
