Patna: A young man in Bihar was hacked to death after his bike hit a goat on the road. The incident took place in Bhelaipur village in Muzaffarpur district, some 80km north of Patna, on Saturday evening.
Police said the victim, identified as Navin Singh, and his friend were driving to get petrol when their two-wheeler accidentally hit a goat walking on the street. The goat was wounded in the incident.
In a fit of rage, local villagers chased the bikers, and after catching up with them, beat them up. One of the villagers took out a sharp-edged weapon and slit Singh’s throat, killing him. Singh’s passenger managed to get away and has been admitted to a local government hospital in a critical condition.
Once the news of Singh’s killing reached other villagers, they ran to the spot and ransacked the homes in Bhelaipur, a Dalit hamlet, before setting them ablaze. Sensing more trouble, the Dalit villagers fled their homes, leaving behind their belongings.
“We are conducting raids to nab the culprits who are absconding,” a local senior police official, Vivek Kumar, told the media today. According to him, adequate forces are camping on the spot and efforts are on restore normality.
This is the second such incident in Bihar in recent months. Earlier, a 15-year-old Dalit boy was burnt to death after his goat strayed into the paddy field of an upper caste villager. The incident took place in Rohtas district of Bihar in October 2014.
A similar incident was also reported from neighbouring Jharkhand state where two youths were tortured and beaten to death for stealing a goat for picnic party, which never took place. The goat belonged to an influential villager.
