Begusarai Shooting: The incident is being thoroughly investigated, said Nitish Kumar. (File)
Seven police personnel in Bihar's Begusarai were suspended on Wednesday for dereliction of duty after four gunmen went on a rampage in the district, killing a man and critically injuring 11 people, a senior official said.
Earlier, district police officers had claimed that two bike-borne assailants were involved in the incident.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told reporters in Patna, "The incident is being thoroughly investigated by the Bihar Police. Officers are also probing the motive behind it."
Seven district police personnel have been suspended in connection with the shooting, the Chief Minister said.
Talking to media persons, Yogendra Kumar, Begusarai Superintendent of Police, said, “The district police have launched a manhunt for the accused. Altogether four gunmen were involved in the incident. The accused came in two bikes and fired indiscriminately at several locations in Begusarai on Tuesday, killing a 30-year-old man, Chandan Kumar, and injuring 11 others”.
Five persons have been detained in connection with the incident, he said.
Security has been heightened in the district and all the entry points have been barricaded, the SP said.
The police have released CCTV footage of the incident and announced a cash reward for anyone providing reliable information about the accused.
Meanwhile, Union minister Giriraj Singh, who is also a Member of Parliament from Begusarai, reached his Lok Sabha constituency in the evening.
Talking to reporters in Patna on way to Begusarai, Mr Singh said, "Whenever a 'Mahagathbandan' government comes to power in Bihar, the law and order situation starts deteriorating. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has now termed 'Jungle Raj' as 'Janata Raj', which is ridiculous. He is working under the pressure of the RJD leadership."
The Union minister and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, separately met family members of the victims during the day.
Meanwhile, most of the markets in Begusarai remained closed on Wednesday in the wake of a bandh call given by the district unit of the BJP.
A section of people also disrupted the movement of vehicles near Pipra village on National Highway 28 connecting Begusarai and Barauni.
The protesters blocked the National Highway after placing Chandan Kumar's body on the road.
The gunmen had first opened fire at Malhipur Chowk in the town, targeting shops in the busy area. Panicked people started running for their lives, while shopkeepers fled leaving their shops open. The gunmen then went to Barauni Thermal Chowk, Barauni, Teghra, Bachwara, and Rajendra Bridge, and continued firing at people.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)