Hathwa bazaar closed for second day to protest murder of medicine dealer

Alok Mishra

Gopalganj: The traders at Hathwa Bazaar in Hathwa sub-division observed complete bandh for the second consecutive day on Thursday to protest the murder of a local medicine shop-owner Sarwar Ansari. The local market wore a deserted look as the angry protestors came on roads on Thursday morning and forcibly shut the entire bazaar. Though the local police have detained two suspects for interrogation in connection with the murder, the locals are not satisfied with it and were demanding immediate arrest of the assailants.

It may be mentioned here that a group of criminals had gunned down Ansari, a resident of village Manichapar, on Wednesday afternoon when he was sitting at his medicine shop. This angered the locals, who ransacked the sub-divisional hospital and damaged several costly equipment there.

Even the sub-divisional hospital could not function properly on Thursday and the doctors hardly examined the patients. Gopalganj Civil Surgeon Dr Madheshwar Sharma, who visited the hospital on Thursday, said that since the mob damaged the ambulance and other costly equipment at the hospital, it would take some time for it to function  smoothly.

If the local traders are to be believed, they suffered huge loss due to the vandalism and the bandh by the locals. All business institutions, ATMs kiosks of different banks besides branches of some banks had also downed their shutters fearing attack by the mob. Even the locals dared not to visit the market.

Senior officials including Hathwa SDM Pramod Ram, DCLR Nurul N, SDPO Mohd. Imteyaz and DSP (Trainee) Vibhash Kumar were camping at different places in Hathwa Bazaar urging the locals to maintain peace. Besides senior administrative and police officials, policemen from 15 police stations were also deployed in the locality. Though the officials remained tightlipped over the detention and interrogation of two suspects, raids were on to arrest the killers.

If police sources are to be believed, Gopalganj SP Ravi Ranjan Kumar has constituted police teams and the cops were carrying out raids in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to nab the killers. Kumar told journalists that the killers would be nabbed soon and the reason behind the killing would be clear soon.