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2 min readPatnaJul 14, 2026 05:55 AM IST
The officer added that police then carried out “necessary and controlled retaliatory action in self-defence and to bring the accused under control”, during which Jagdish sustained a bullet injury below the knee. (File Photo)
The main accused in the murder of an Army soldier and his father in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Sunday was injured in a police encounter after allegedly trying to escape from custody.
According to Vaishali Superintendent of Police Shubhank Mishra, Jagdish Rai was arrested from a men’s hostel in the Bahadurpur area of neighbouring Patna district following searches by a special police team. Jagdish is a cousin of the killed soldier and is the main accused in the double murder in Rajaso village.
“While Jagdish was being brought to Vaishali for legal proceedings, he allegedly snatched a constable’s rifle near Bidupur Bazaar, jumped out of the police vehicle, and opened fire on the escort team while attempting to flee,” the SP said.
The officer added that police then carried out “necessary and controlled retaliatory action in self-defence and to bring the accused under control”, during which Jagdish sustained a bullet injury below the knee.
He was taken under police escort to Sadar Hospital in Hajipur, where he is undergoing treatment. Doctors have told police that he is out of danger. No police personnel were injured in the exchange of fire, SP Mishra said. Sources said Jagdish has a criminal history and was previously jailed in connection with a murder case and an NDPS case. Police said searches are still underway to arrest the remaining suspects.
The encounter came a day after 52-year-old Munarik Rai and his 32-year-old son, Jitendra Kumar, an Army jawan who was posted in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, were shot dead over a long-running land dispute in Rajaso village. Jitendra, who had returned home days earlier following his brother-in-law’s death, later succumbed to his injuries, while his father died on the spot.
The police action comes amid intense political heat over last month’s Bhojpur encounter, which prompted a judicial inquiry. The Opposition and Jan Suraaj have been accusing the NDA government of promoting what they allege was a “fake encounter culture”.
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