Patna, October 24
Even as the students’ agitation against Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) continued in Bihar for the fourth day, a case of murder was lodged against the MNS chief and his men in a district court in the state today.

The case was lodged in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Biharsharif by father of deceased Pawan Kumar. Pawan was fatally injured when the MNS activists allegedly attacked the railway recruitment test examinees from Bihar in Mumbai on Sunday last. His body was brought to his native village in Nalanda district from Mumbai after the autopsy was carried out at the behest of the Mumbai Police.

This is not the only case registered against Raj Thackeray for the latest incidents of attack on Hindi speaking people in Maharsahtra.

Quite a few cases have been registered against him with different courts across Bihar on the charge of giving provocative speech and instigating violence against innocent people.

On the other hand, notwithstanding the appeal to shun violence and exercise restrain by all political parties here, groups of students continued their agitation against the Mumbai violence on the streets of the state capital and some other district towns like West Champaran and Gaya, damaging vehicles and other properties even today. The police had to use force to disperse them.

Although, no major incident of attack on the railway property was reported from any part of the state today, other than Gaya, the train communication was yet to normalise in the state. While quite a few long distance trains to and from Delhi and Howrah remained cancelled even today, many other trains were running late by several hours causing acute hardship to passengers.

A large number of passengers were stranded at various major railway stations. Despite many student organisations owing allegiance to different political parties like the RJD, the LJP, the NCP and the JD (U) withdrawing their call for Bihar bandh on October 25, the state administration said an alert had been sounded across the state in view of the bandh call.

New Delhi, October 24
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention in enforcing law in Maharashtra.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Nitish Kumar said he was constrained to write to him (the Prime Minister) in context of ongoing violence in Maharashtra unleashed by certain elements against north Indians, specifically Hindi-speaking people.

With particular reference to incidents of resultant violence in Bihar, he said stories of those returning from Maharashtra were provoking students and youth in Bihar, who had found railway stations as convenient targets to vent their anger and frustration on.

Those subjected to violence and abuse in Maharashtra were venting their anger and frustration on government properties back home, he said, quoting incidents of Thursday and Friday in the state.