RJD leader shot dead in Bihar

Patna: A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader in Bihar was shot dead near here on Thursday by unidentified assailants, police said.

Kedar Rai was out on his morning walk in Danapur when the attack took place, the police said.

"It appears to be the work of a sharpshooter," a police officer added.

A seriously injured Rai was rushed to a hospital but declared brought dead. Rai, who was in his 50s, was considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

According to his family members, he had informed district police about a threat to his life and had even sought security cover. But the request was ignored, they said.

Angry over the incident, hundreds of Danapur residents shouted slogans against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and staged a protest demanding the arrest of the killers.

Rai is the second RJD leader in Bihar to be murdered after Nitish Kumar formed the new JD-U-BJP government after dumping the Grand Alliance with the RJD and Congress in July end.

Minhaj Khan was the other RJD leader, who was shot dead on July 29 in Siwan district.

Khan was a popular youth leader and was said to be close to former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin who is currently in prison.