Muzaffarpur/Patna: Residents of Muzaffarpur were jolted awake on Thursday morning as gunfire erupted outside a home near Rohua petrol pump, with CCTV footage capturing bike-borne assailants firing multiple rounds before speeding away.
The shooting, believed to be linked to an ongoing land dispute, took place under the Mushahri police station area and has renewed questions about the Bihar government’s claims of cracking down on crime. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and cabinet colleague Samrat Choudhary have repeatedly promised to eradicate criminal networks and resolve property conflicts, which they say fuel such violence.
No injuries were reported, and the homeowner, Satish Kumar Thakur, said his family escaped narrowly. Police recovered a shell casing from the scene and are analysing CCTV footage that shows a gunman firing at least nine shots at the residence.
“This land has been disputed for some time. We had already filed a case over extortion threats. The shooting was done to pressure us over the property,” Thakur told reporters.
Police officials confirmed an investigation is underway. Rural SP Rajesh Singh Prabhakar said the shooting appears to stem from the ongoing land conflict. “Identification of the suspects is being done through footage. The victim has been asked to file a formal application, and further investigation is in progress,” he said.
The incident has intensified fear in nearby neighbourhoods, with residents around the Rohua petrol pump reporting anxiety and concern over slow resolutions to land grievances — despite the government’s high-profile “Land Reform Jan Samvad” initiative, intended to deliver faster dispute settlements.
The shooting has once again raised doubts over the effectiveness of those programmes on the ground, as property disputes continue to trigger violent confrontations across the state.
