Patna: The lynching of a 70-year-old man in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district has triggered political tensions, with Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan blaming Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supporters for the killing and alleging a return of “Jungle Raj” in the state.
Shankar Paswan, a resident of Sakhaura Patsara village under the Gaighat Assembly constituency, was beaten to death on Saturday evening. According to police reports, the incident began as a dispute over plucking leaves from a tree. The victim’s daughter-in-law told officers that Ramesh Rai’s daughter had been gathering leaves from a roadside jalebi tree for cattle feed when Shankar Paswan objected. The argument allegedly escalated into violence, with members of Rai’s family assaulting Paswan, leading to his death on the spot.
Police said the two families had also clashed earlier in the week, on the day of the local elections, over access to a footpath leading to Paswan’s house.
गायघाट विधानसभा के सखौरा पटसारा गांव में शंकर पासवान जी की राजद समर्थकों द्वारा की गई निर्मम हत्या अत्यंत निंदनीय और पीड़ादायक है।
परिजनों द्वारा लगाए गए चुनावी रंजिश के आशंका, राजद समर्थकों की चुनावी हार की हताशा और जंगलराज को वापस लाने की मानसिकता का प्रतीक हैं।
मैं प्रशासन…
— युवा बिहारी चिराग पासवान (@iChiragPaswan) November 10, 2025
Taking to X, Chirag Paswan condemned the killing and directly accused RJD supporters of being behind the attack. “The brutal murder of Shankar Paswan ji by RJD supporters in Sakhaura Patsara village of Gaighat Assembly constituency is highly condemnable and painful,” he wrote. “The family’s suspicion of electoral rivalry reflects RJD supporters’ frustration over their electoral defeat and their desire to bring back Jungle Raj.”
He urged the district administration to “quickly identify the culprits and give them the harshest punishment”.
A delegation from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) — including MPs Arun Bharti and Veena Devi, acting state president Ashraf Ansari, Bochaha candidate Baby Kumari, and district president Chulbul Shahi — is expected to visit the victim’s family to gather details and demand justice.
