The main accused in Tuesday evening’s shooting at the Sultanaganj municipal council office in Bihar’s Bhagalpur was killed in a police encounter early on Wednesday, hours after the attack that left a senior official dead and another critically injured.
The accused, Ramdhani Yadav, husband of the deputy chairperson of the Sultanaganj municipal council, Neelam Devi, had been identified as allegedly being the main perpetrator of the shooting inside the civic body office in Sultanganj.
According to police, Yadav had surrendered following the incident, and the encounter took place when he was taken for the recovery of weapons used in the crime.
Bhagalpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramod Kumar Yadav said the encounter occurred when the police team reached a location identified by the accused. “The accused was being taken for recovery of weapons and other materials when he, along with unidentified associates who followed the police team, opened fire in an attempt to free the accused. Yadav also fired at police using the pistol that was to be recovered. Our officers were injured in the attack and retaliated in self-defence. The accused was injured and later died during treatment,” the SSP said.
Sources said the encounter lasted about 15 minutes. Three police personnel, DSP (Law and Order) Navneet Kumar, Inspector Mrityunjay Kumar of Sultanaganj and technical branch in-charge Inspector Parmeshwar, were injured in the encounter, officers said. They are undergoing treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Mayaganj.
The SSP said that two other accused have been arrested in connection with the case. “One has been identified as Deepak, who is reported to have prior involvement in a murder case, while the other is Yadav’s brother-in-law. Both are in police custody and have previous criminal records,” the officer added.
Shooting at municipal council office
On Tuesday evening, masked assailants entered the chairman’s chamber inside the municipal council office and opened fire. Executive Officer Krishna Bhushan Kumar was shot four times and died on the spot. The chairman, Rajkumar, sustained serious injuries, including gunshot wounds to the head and chest. He was initially admitted to a local hospital and was later referred to Patna for advanced treatment. Officials said his condition is stable.
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CCTV footage showed three men entering the chamber carrying bags, pulling out firearms and opening fire. As people began to flee, Executive Officer Kumar intervened and tried to disarm the attackers. He was overpowered, dragged out of the chamber and shot.
Police said the attackers intended to target the chairman, and Kumar was killed when he attempted to intervene.
Following the shooting, multiple police teams were deployed across the district. Yadav initially attempted to flee on a motorcycle and later by auto-rickshaw before arriving near a police station and surrendering.
During interrogation, he disclosed locations where weapons and other materials had been hidden, leading to the recovery operation during which the encounter took place.
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Police officers said Yadav had a long criminal history, including involvement in previous murder cases, and was considered a notorious figure in the area.
Police sources indicated that the attack may have allegedly stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the chairman and the main accused’s wife, who is the deputy chairperson, involving issues related to tender allocation. Investigators believe Yadav planned the attack after facing opposition from the chairman.
Krishna Bhushan Kumar, a Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) officer from the 59th batch and a native of Madhubani, had taken charge as Executive Officer of the Sultanaganj municipal council in July, 2025. Reportedly, earlier this year, the council secured the top position nationally in a best accounts practices award, for which Kumar was honoured in New Delhi. He got married three years ago.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the family of the deceased officer and said the last rites would be conducted with state honours.
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Police said further investigation is ongoing into the murder and the broader conspiracy behind the attack.
