Araria (Bihar), April 9 Tension erupted in Forbesganj town in north Bihar on Thursday when a pickup van driver was beheaded by a roadside vendor, who was subsequently beaten by locals and died in hospital, an official said.
According to Jitendra Kumar, SP of Araria district, which is headquartered at Forbesganj, the incident took place in the morning when Nabi Hussain, who was driving a pickup vehicle, had a quarrel with Ravi Chauhan.
"Chauhan was selling sattu (roasted gram flour) at a local market where he had a quarrel with Hussain and attacked him with a knife, which has been seized by police," the SP said.
He added, "Witnesses caught Chauhan and beat him until he was rescued by a police party, which rushed to the scene upon hearing about the incident. Chauhan was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The bodies of both the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination. Further investigations are underway."
Meanwhile, images of Hussain's severed head, apparently captured by onlookers on their phones, lying on the street, have gone viral on social media.
One such image was shared on X by the leader of the opposition, Tejashwi Yadav.
Yadav criticized the government for the "horrific situation" in Bihar and described the NDA rule as "a chaotic regime."
"A man publicly slit another man's throat right in the middle of the market and wandered around with his severed head amidst hundreds of people. Later, the family of the deceased murdered the killer," he alleged.
The RJD national working president also accused the police of "trying to save themselves" during the chaos.
"This incident shows the degraded state of law and order in Bihar. While the ruling coalition leaders are engaged in the game of musical chairs for the 'CM seat,' incidents of looting, murder, and rape are rising every day in Bihar," he claimed.
He alleged that the NDA government in Bihar is "lost in the haze of sand and liquor mafias."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return for elections five years later and speak about 'jungle raj' while the situation here in Bihar is pathetic at present," Yadav said.
He also alleged that the incident was "inspired by a recent propaganda film," without naming it.
"The poison that the BJP government is injecting into society through its propaganda is heart-wrenching," he alleged.
