MURDER ON 90TH DAY AFTER DEATH THREAT OVER LAND DISPUTE

MURDER ON 90^TH DAY AFTER DEATH THREAT OVER LAND DISPUTE

18-OCT-ENG 9

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------In a chilling case of alleged land mafia violence, retired Assistant Commissioner of the Central Excise Department Ram Kumar Singh was shot dead with eight bullets in Ara on Thursday morning, exactly 90 days after he formally complained of death threats linked to a property dispute.

Singh, who had retired from the Customs and Central Excise Department, was on his morning walk near Ramna Maidan when bike-borne assailants opened fire. According to the FIR filed by his son Amit Kumar (alias Goldy) at Nawada police station, the attackers first shot him in the chest. As he fell, more bullets were pumped into his chest and abdomen before the assailants fled the scene brandishing their weapons. Singh was rushed to Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Nearly three months before the murder, Singh had submitted a detailed complaint (sanha) to the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Ara Civil Court. In it, he described a systematic attempt by a group of people to grab land belonging to his family in Singhi village under Mufassil police station limits.

He named several individuals — including Chandan Singh, Manoj Lucky (also identified as a journalist), Chandani Singh, Rakesh Kumar Singh, Bhim Singh, Sudhir Kumar Singh, Amarendra Bahadur Singh, Bameshwar Singh, Deepak Kumar, Md. Saif Alam and Afsa Bano — and alleged that their main activity was forging documents and using force to occupy land for sale.

Singh specifically wrote that on the night of 4 July 2026, the boundary wall of the disputed land (Khata No. 88, Khesra No. 69) was demolished with a JCB machine despite his protests. He claimed that Chandan Singh and Manoj Singh had openly threatened him in the presence of the then Mufassil Station House Officer, Inspector Ram Kalyan Yadav, saying the wall would be broken that night.

 “We will take out your funeral procession… One day we will make your ‘Ram Naam Satya’. All officials and employees from the circle to the district level are in our pocket. Who can harm us? We will see.”

He further alleged that the accused had put him under surveillance and were planning his murder. Singh had also written emails to district and state officials seeking protection of the boundary and action against the land grabbers, but claimed no effective administrative help came.

After the murder, Amit Kumar filed an FIR naming 14 people. Among those named are:

• Chandan Kumar (described as the main conspirator)
• Manoj Kumar Singh alias Lucky (alleged journalist)
• Ram Kalyan Yadav (then Inspector of Mufassil police station, now under suspension)
• Former revenue employee of Ara circle Vishnu Dev Singh
• Several others named in the original complaint

The family has demanded a speedy investigation, prompt arrests and a fast-track trial. Relatives and neighbours blocked the Ara-Patna road in protest, placing Singh’s body on the road to highlight their demand for justice.

Police and forensic teams have collected evidence from the crime scene. Senior officials have stated that strong action will be taken and that the investigation will be thorough.

The killing of a retired senior government officer who had formally recorded threats against land mafias has raised serious questions about the protection of complainants and the alleged collusion between criminals and some local officials in Bhojpur district.