A bloody battle between armed bands of Maoists and criminals for control over a riverside area in southern Bihar is feared to have led to the slaughter of at least 15 people, most of them Maoists. Four bodies have been recovered but the police suspects the number of dead could be over 15.
The sandy expanse on the banks of the Ganga called Harinmar Diyara in Munger district bore witness to the extreme violence late on Monday evening as the local criminals, believed to belong to the Bhagwan Bind gang, and some 30 Maoists assembled there for a feast exchanged fire.
The police arrived at the remote spot in southern Bihar, the scene of a bloody battle between Maoists and criminals reachable only on horses or boats, on Tuesday morning to recover three bodies. Another body was recovered on Wednesday.
“The number of shoes and clothes lying scattered on the blood-splattered spot stretching over half a kilometre clearly indicate that over 15 people could have been killed in this intense skirmish. Most of the bodies were most probably thrown into the river. We have launched a search for the bodies,” said Munger SP M. Sunil Naik.