Comrade Arun Singh, aged 60, (Mukhiya of Barap Panchayat, village Sahangi, Garhani Block, Agiaon Assembly Constituency in Bhojpur, Bihar) was killed at 8 pm on 5 August 2019 in his own Mohalla in front of Anil Singh’s house. Comrade Arun used to sit there every morning and evening to meet with the villagers. At the time of the killing, the villagers had left and only Arun Singh and Anil Singh were sitting at their doorstep when Chunnu Singh, a young man of the same Mohalla, came there with a document and asked Arun Singh if a rifle license could be procured by showing that document. As Arun Singh was looking at the document, Chunnu Singh shot him on the forehead above the ear. Grievously injured, Arun Singh died on the way from the village to the hospital.
Comrade Arun Singh was currently the Mukhiya of Barap Panchayat. Earlier, his wife was the Mukhiya. On one occasion Arun Singh lost the election by a very narrow margin. This had irked the feudal-minded people in the village from the Rajput caste. In the last Panchayat election he had defeated Garhani petrol pump owner Chandrashekhar Singh, who was also a resident of Sahangi and is close to BJP. The villagers say that it was he who had a hand in the murder of Arun Singh. Chunnu Singh and his family also had a grudge against Arun Singh because he had become the Mukhiya. According to the villagers Chunnu Singh is a rowdy young man who was used by Chandrashekhar Singh for this purpose.
Hundreds of protestors blocked the road in Garhani on 6 August to protest against the killing, pointing out that feudal criminals have got emboldened with Modi in power in the Centre and BJP-JDU in power in the state. They are on a spree of attacking left leaders and activists.
On 7 August, protests were held at all Blocks in the District, demanding that the killer and the conspirators behind the killing be arrested and punished.
