Over dozen people injured in clash between two groups in Bihar's Vaishali district

The unrest was triggered by an incident involving a local youth, Dharmendra Pandit (25), son of Gopal Pandit, who was taken to Kolkata by a private contractor on April 24 with a promise of employment.

However, Dharmendra died mysteriously under unclear circumstances.

According to family members, they received a distress call on Sunday from the contractor, informing them about the death of Dharmendra. When the family rushed to Kolkata, the contractor became untraceable and did not assist during the police proceedings and post-mortem.

After unsuccessfully attempting to contact him, the family returned with the dead body of Dharmendra to Vaishali.

Upon their return, the victim’s family staged a protest outside the contractor’s residence by putting the dead body in front of it, demanding answers.

Tensions escalated quickly as hundreds of people from both sides gathered and began to fight using sticks and stones, leading to injuries to over one dozen people.

A heavy police force arrived at the scene of the clash to control the situation.

However, the angry mob attacked the cops, resulting in damage to a police vehicle. The police initially tried to disperse the crowd using mild force, but the situation went out of control, forcing them to retreat temporarily.

At the time of filing of this report, senior police officers along with large police and para-military forces were camping in the village to monitor the situation closely and restore peace.

An investigation into the contractor’s role in the incident involving Dharmendra Pandit is also underway. Authorities are appealing to the public to remain calm and cooperate with the probe.

Vaishali police constituted a team to nab the contractor who is still at large. The family members have been asked to establish contact with the contractor and advise him to appear before the police and clarify his stand.