Hazaribagh, April 11 Protests erupted in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh city on Friday after the murder of a 25-year-old youth, Prabhat Kumar, in the Khirgaon locality of the city, officials said.
The young man was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon, leading to his death, triggering public outrage and a two-hour-long road blockade near Namaskar Chowk.
According to police, Prabhat, a resident of the Bara Bazar police station area, had gone out on a scooter with his friend Krishna on Thursday evening.
After two hours, his family received information that he had been found gravely injured in Bakar Gali, Khirgaon. He had sustained a deep wound to the back of his head, believed to have been inflicted with a sharp weapon.
He was immediately rushed to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh, but doctors referred him to RIMS, Ranchi. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries on the way.
As news of the murder spread, residents gathered near Namaskar Chowk on Friday morning and blocked the main road, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and compensation for the victim’s family.
The protest disrupted traffic and created a tense atmosphere in the area for nearly two hours.
The situation was brought under control after senior district officials, including the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and police officers, arrived at the scene and assured the crowd that strict action would be taken. The victim's body was later sent for post-mortem.
In light of the public unrest, additional police personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain order.
During preliminary questioning, Prabhat’s friend Krishna told the police that the two had gone out together, and Prabhat had asked him to drop him near Bakar Gali for some personal work. He was supposed to return shortly to pick him up. However, before he could do so, Krishna received the news of Prabhat being found unconscious and severely injured.
The Bara Bazar police station in-charge stated that the investigation is underway, and all angles are being explored. “We are interrogating the friend and collecting evidence. The accused will be identified and arrested soon,” he said.
Family members said Prabhat had returned home on leave and was scheduled to resume work in another state on Friday. He was the sole breadwinner of the household.
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