Khunti (Jharkhand), Jan 8 (IANS) Jharkhand’s Khunti district witnessed a complete shutdown on Thursday following the killing of prominent tribal leader and Padha Raja Som Munda. The district-wide bandh was called by various tribal organisations, severely disrupting normal life.

From early morning, protesters and villagers took to the streets, blocking major intersections across the district. Markets, shops, and educational institutions remained shut, while public transport services were completely suspended.

Normal life in Khunti came to a standstill as bandh supporters staged sit-in demonstrations and blocked roads by burning tyres.

Raising slogans, members of tribal organisations and local residents demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved in Som Munda’s murder and swift justice for his family. There is widespread anger and tension in the region among the people following the incident.

Senior police and administrative officials were deployed at sensitive locations to monitor the situation and engage with protesters in an effort to maintain law and order.

Som Munda was shot dead by unknown assailants late Wednesday evening in the Khunti police station area.

According to police, he was returning to his village, Chalangi, from Khunti with his wife on a motorcycle when the attack took place near a pond in Jamuadag. Two assailants on another motorcycle overtook them and fired multiple shots, one of which hit Som Munda in the chest.

Despite being critically injured, Som Munda attempted to ride towards Khunti but collapsed on the way as his condition deteriorated. The attackers fled towards Mandarutoli after the incident.

Som Munda’s wife informed the police that she travelled part of the way with the help of a passing tractor and later reached the Khunti police station by auto-rickshaw to report the incident. Police rushed to the spot and shifted Som Munda to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

DSP Varun Rajak said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted considering the gravity of the case. Raids are being conducted at suspected hideouts to identify and apprehend the culprits.

The administration has appealed to the public to maintain peace, assuring that the case is being investigated from all angles and the perpetrators will be arrested soon.

Som Munda was a highly influential figure in the tribal community and was widely recognised as a Padha Raja (traditional tribal chief). He was also a leader of the Jharkhand Party, an educationist, and the convener of the Tribal Coordination Committee in Khunti district.

The Tribal Coordination Committee has termed his killing a “social and political conspiracy.”

As a precautionary measure, additional police forces have been deployed across the district, and the administration is closely monitoring the situation. Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

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