A police assistant sub-inspector allegedly opened fire inside a house in Madhubani’s Balirajgarh village late Monday night, killing one villager and seriously injuring three others before fleeing, according to police officials. The accused officer, Chandramohan Singh, has been suspended and two special teams have been formed to arrest him.
Madhubani SSP Yogendra Kumar said a case of murder and other offences was being registered against the ASI, who was posted at a police picket near the Balirajgarh excavation site. Police said the officer allegedly entered a house in the Babubarhi police station area, after which a neighbour, Phoolo Devi, raised an alarm. Villagers then gathered and surrounded the house.
According to the account cited by the police, the ASI pulled out his service pistol after being trapped and fired five to six rounds. Four villagers were hit. The injured were taken to Babubarhi Community Health Centre, where doctors declared 50-year-old Ashok Yadav dead on arrival.
The three injured villagers were identified as Dhanik Lal Yadav, Phulo Devi and Vijendra Yadav. They were referred to the sadar hospital for further medical treatment. Yadav, who ran a paan shop in Bengaluru, was due to return for his daughter’s wedding scheduled for December 14, according to the report.
The SSP said the accused officer had been visiting the area regularly, ostensibly to collect rations, and had allegedly developed a relationship with a woman living there. Police said he had gone to meet her on the night of the incident. Villagers had reportedly been monitoring his visits and surrounded the house after he arrived.
The shooting triggered protests in the area. Angry villagers blocked the Balirajgarh-Khutauna road at Bhupatti Chowk and demonstrated with Ashok Yadav’s body, demanding stern action against the accused officer. Madhubani District Magistrate Anand Sharma and the SSP visited the site and faced difficulty pacifying the protesters. Police later said the blockade was lifted and the situation was under control.
The SSP and other senior officers visited the village, met the injured villagers and their families, and inspected the location of the shooting. The accused ASI remained absconding, and two special police teams led by two Sadar sub-divisional police officers were assigned to trace and arrest him.
The incident has also brought attention to the security arrangements at the excavation site. The police picket was established after unrest in May 2026, when troublemakers allegedly disrupted excavation work and stole archaeological remains. One ASI, three home guard personnel and two chowkidars had been deployed there. The personnel stayed at a residential girls’ school after duty, according to the report. The immediate next step is the arrest of the suspended ASI and the progress of the murder investigation.
