Bihar village cries for justice as young cleric killed in Gurugram attack
Sitamarhi (Bihar) (PTI): Following the death of a young naib imam of a Gurugram mosque in a mob attack, his village in Bihar has sought justice.
Cries for 'justice' rent the air at Maniyadih, a village in north Bihar's Sitamarhi district, to which 19-year-old Haafiz Saad belonged.
"Saad babu was scheduled to return by a train along with his elder brother Shadab. Shadab had called us to complain that his brother was not ready to leave the mosque until tomorrow morning," the slain naib imam's maternal uncle Ibrahim Akhtar told PTI-Bhasha over the phone.
"The main imam of the masjid had gone out of station, and Saad felt duty-bound not to leave the premises until his superior, who was scheduled to return on Thursday, was back," said the bereaved uncle.
The elder brother, who stays elsewhere in Gurugram and gives tuition for a living, was of the view that they leave for a "safer" place, mindful of the communal violence there. However, for the younger sibling, the call for duty was too compelling.
Saad's father Mushtaq smells a "conspiracy" against his son, unable to come to terms with reports that the mild-mannered youngster was attacked with swords before being shot dead.
"What was my son's fault? Why did the mob attack the naib imam and not others who were present inside the mosque? I want justice. I want nothing else from the government," said the crestfallen father.
"We were planning to visit Muzaffarpur tomorrow to receive Saad and his brother at the station and bring them home. Now, here we are, awaiting the ambulance which would bring his body," wailed the bereaved father.
The elder brother, who was to accompany Saad on the train journey, was now travelling by the hearse carrying the mortal remains.
Sitamarhi Superintendent of Police Manoj Tiwari said, "The village falls under Nanpur police station. I am instructing the SHO to extend all help that the bereaved family may need during the funeral".
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Tribal man brings dead sister's skeleton to bank to withdraw money from her account
Keonjhar (PTI): A tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Monday brought the skeleton of his dead sister to a bank to withdraw the money deposited in her name, police said.
The incident occurred at Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank located at Patana block of Keonjhar district. The man was identified as Jeetu Munda (50) of Dianali village. He was seeking to withdraw Rs 20,000 from the bank account of his elder sister, Kalra Munda (56), who died on January 26, 2026.
"I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name. Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," an illiterate Jeetu Munda told reporters.
Patana Police Station Inspector in charge (IIC) Kiran Prasad Sahu, who reached the bank after getting information, said, "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person's account."
However, after the incident, the police assured Jeetu Munda that they would facilitate the withdrawal of money from the bank account of his dead sister. Later, the skeleton was again buried at the graveyard in presence of police.
Meanwhile, local Block Development Officer (BDO) Manas Dandpat said that he was not approached by anyone for the legal heir of late Kalra Munda. "Today only, I came to know about it. We will see what can be done to resolve the issue," the BDO said.
Meanwhile, bank sources said that the nominee in Kalra Munda's bank account was also dead. Therefore, Jeetu Munda was the lone claimant over the money deposited in her name.
The local administration has directed the bank officers to make arrangements and ensure that Jeetu Munda, who is the only claimant as per the rules, gets the money as soon as possible.
