Political worker’s house set ablaze in Bhagalpur; kin escape unhurt

Bhagalpur: Family members of a political party worker had a narrow escape after a group of criminals allegedly set their house on fire at Sitarampur village under Sultanganj police station area around midnight on Friday.

Household articles and a large portion of the house belonging to Mithlesh Kumar Chaudhary were gutted in the blaze.Police and a fire brigade team rushed to the spot on receiving information and brought the fire under control. The incident was captured on a nearby CCTV camera, based on which an investigation has been launched.In his statement to police, Chaudhary alleged that five masked men entered the house around midnight with the intention of killing him and his family.

The accused allegedly sprinkled petrol and set the house on fire before fleeing. Chaudhary said all family members were inside the house at the time.“We managed to escape and saved ourselves from being burnt alive,” his son Abhishek said, alleging that the attack was linked to a previous dispute with one Pankaj Sah of the same village. He claimed the family had received threats four days ago and that the arson was driven by personal enmity.

ASP (trainee) and Sultanganj police station in-charge Sayan Raja told this newspaper that a police team immediately reached the spot and the fire brigade was alerted. “The blaze was brought under control soon. We are investigating the incident with an open mind. Prima facie, it appears to be linked to a longstanding personal dispute,” he said.