The victim Manoj Shah and the protests done by locals following his murder (India Posts)
Tensions escalated in a Gopalganj village, in Bihar, as a law-and-order crisis unfolded following the discovery of the mutilated body of temple priest Manoj Shah on December 16. Shah, missing since December 11, was not only murdered but subjected to an ISIS-style desecration, including the gouging of eyes, mutilation of private parts and tongue, and acid poured on his face. Currently, the police have made no comments on the arrests of the accused. Instead, they have named locals and family members of the victim, attributing the tensions to protests against them at the crime scene after the murder.
A First Information Report (number 452/2023) in this case was registered at the Manjhagarh police station on December 16, following the recovery of the dead body by the police station in-charge, Dinesh Kumar Yadav. In this FIR, Yadav mentioned a missing person’s report (number 283/2023) registered at the Sanha police station on December 11, after the victim, Manoj, went missing.
Yadav reported that upon discovering the mutilated body near Jagarnatha milk factory and Idgah in the bushes, they arrived at the scene around 12:30. Despite plans by the police to transport the identified corpse to the hospital for postmortem and other procedures, enraged locals obstructed the officials. This led to violent protests and the throwing of stones. After significant effort, the authorities managed to bring the situation under control.
The officer named as many as thirty accused, including Manoj’s brother and other relatives and friends in the FIR. The complaint also mentions 200 other unidentified individuals from the village. There is no mention of the culprits who have murdered Manoj and mutilated his body like this.
All the named accused have been booked under IPC sections 147, 148, 149, 341, 323, 325, 307, 435, 353, 188, 504 and 506.
On December 18, Organiser called the investigating officer, Dinesh Kumar Yadav, inquiring about any arrests in the case. However, Yadav declined to provide an answer and terminated the call. This correspondent will make another attempt to contact him for the latest information and update this report accordingly.
According to reports, Manoj served as the caretaker of the Shiv temple in the area and would sleep there at night. While the police assert that he was a caretaker, Manoj’s family insists he was the temple’s pujari. Following his disappearance, the family filed a complaint, but no progress was made in locating him, leading to heightened local anger upon the discovery of his body in the bushes.
Based on the CCTV footage retrieved from the Temple’s installed cameras, the victim was observed exiting the temple and securing the room at approximately 12:40 AM on December 10. Among the residents of the temple were three youths, including Manoj. Meanwhile, the Gopalganj Police announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the incident.
According to available information, the victim suffered severe injuries, including gouged eyes, mutilated tongue and private parts, and facial acid burns intended to obscure identity. The police is awaiting the postmortem report to ascertain the cause of death.
On December 16, local residents staged a widespread protest on National Highway 27, demanding the arrest of the accused. The police, in response to media inquiries, suggested the possibility of a land dispute over the temple land, speculating that it might be connected to the death.
In a video statement, Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat clarified, “A rumor is circulating that he was the priest of the temple. He was a caretaker who used to sleep inside the temple premises. Locals say they had last seen him locking the temple’s gate on Monday night and going out. Further details will be known after an investigation.”
Notably, Manoj’s brother, Ashok Kumar, is a former BJP worker.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP lashed out at the Nitish Kumar government, alleging that the murder was proof of “jungle raj” in Bihar.
“A young priest was shot dead in Bihar’s Gopalganj. After five days, his body was recovered. There is a return of ‘jungleraj’ in the state,” said BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, a former Bihar BJP president, alleged in a statement, “Criminals are roaming around without fear because of the patronage they receive from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.”
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