In what appears to be a case of road rage, a 19-year-old boy was allegedly gunned down for overtaking the vehicle of a Janata Dal-United legislator's son in Bihar.

The incident took place in Gaya district on Saturday night while Aditya Kumar Sachdeva, son of a local businessman, was returning home from a birthday party along with his teenage friends. He succumbed when a bullet hit him following a scuffle with Rocky Yadav, son of JD-U MLC Manorama Devi, who was driving a sports utility vehicle (SUV) through the same route.

Aditya, who was a Class XII examinee, was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital. While Rocky has gone into hiding after the incident, Gaya Police arrested his father Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav, aka Bindi Yadav, and Rajesh Kumar, the bodyguard of his legislator mother who was with him when the incident took place.

Aditya's friends, who had been travelling with him in a Maruti Swift car, told police that the legislator's son lost his temper when their car overtook his SUV near Gaya Central Jail. In a fit of rage, the persons travelling in the SUV allegedly fired in the air and intercepted their vehicle soon thereafter. They said that two people, including the bodyguard and the one driving the SUV were carrying arms. When Aditya, who was allegedly beaten up by Rocky, and his friends tried to leave, a bullet was fired from within the car tearing through its rear windscreen and hitting Aditya on his head.

Gaya Police said that Rocky has been absconding while his father and the bodyguard of his legislator-mother have been taken into custody. Both the vehicles have also been seized.

Rocky's father Bindi Yadav, who has earned the reputation of a bahubali (strongman) over the years, claimed that his son had to take out his licensed pistol in self-defence which might have been fired accidentally during the scuffle.

He said that the youth, who was unfortunately killed, was neither a friend nor an enemy of his son. "My son and my wife's bodyguard were travelling while five inebriated youngsters stopped his vehicle on the way. "My son was roughed up by them. During the scuffle, my son took out his licensed pistol in self-defence, which might have taken off accidentally," he said.

Yadav said that he had full faith in law.

Incensed over the incident, residents of Gaya put up a road blockade for several hours on Sunday. They demanded immediate arrest of the absconding accused. Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Prem Kumar, who also happens to be the Gaya legislator, said that the killing of the youngster by the son of a ruling party legislator reflected the law and order situation. "Nitish is travelling across the country to fulfil his prime ministerial dreams but he is not able to control the law and order situation in the state," he said.

The JD-U leaders, however, said that action would be taken against culprits, keeping with the track record of the Nitish government. Party's national general secretary K C Tyagi said that the guilty would not be spared.

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