Shivam Jha’s Custodial Killing in Muzaffarpur: CPI(ML) Team Meets Bereaved Family

A high-level fact-finding team of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, led by the party’s General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, visited Muzaffarpur’s Kanti area today, where Shivam Jha was brutally murdered in police custody. The team later proceeded to Benipatti, where Imam Mohammad Firoz had recently been subjected to police brutality under the pretext of vehicle checking.

The CPI(ML) delegation also included MLC Sashi Yadav, AIARLA National Secretary Dhirendra Jha, AIARLA State Secretary Shatrughan Sahni, RYA National President Aftab Alam, and leaders from Insaf Manch, including Suraj Kumar Singh, Fahad Jama, and Aslam Rahmani.

Speaking at the site, Dipankar Bhattacharya stated that Bihar no longer has a functioning government. “The BJP has completely captured Nitish Kumar, and police brutality is setting new records every day. In reality, Bihar is under a police-goonda raj, with systematic extortion rackets operating in every police station. The perpetrators of this heinous crime—both the station in-charge and the police personnel involved—must be booked for murder. The CPI(ML) stands firmly with the victim’s family and will ensure a large-scale citizens’ protest against this atrocity,” he said. CPI(ML) legislators will also raise the issue in the Bihar Assembly.

According to the CPI(ML) fact-finding report, Shivam Jha, also known as Anand, was the son of Krishna Dev Jha, a labourer from Kalwari Chandra Bhan village in Ramnath Dhamoli Panchayat. He was arrested from a Saraswati Puja site on the night of February 03, 2025 by Kanti police. On the morning of February 06, his family was informed of his death.

For two days, the police prevented Shivam’s family from meeting him. When his mother visited the police station on February 04, she was verbally abused and thrown out. The police later claimed that they would allow a meeting in court, but instead, they demanded Rs. 1.5 lakh from the family. Unable to pay the bribe, Shivam was brutally tortured in custody, leading to his death.

It was revealed that Kanti police routinely detain young men on vague suspicions and then extort money in exchange for their release. On the night of February 03, several youths were picked up in connection with an alleged vehicle theft during Saraswati Puja celebrations. Those who paid bribe were let go, but Shivam’s family, unable to meet the police’s demands, lost their son to custodial murder.

Now, the administration is trying to cover up the crime by falsely claiming it was a suicide. The police failed to produce Shivam in court within 24 hours, making their actions outright illegal. The CPI(ML) has demanded the immediate arrest of the police station in-charge and the investigating officer responsible for the unlawful detention and custodial killing.

The report also highlighted that a notorious police operative, Raghu Paswan, operates as the key middleman in police extortion in Kanti. CPI(ML) has demanded an investigation into his bank accounts to expose the extent of his involvement in the racket.

Shivam Jha’s family lives in extreme poverty, yet no district administration officials have visited them. CPI(ML) MLC Sashi Yadav spoke with the DM and BDO, after which the BDO promised to send some ration to the bereaved family. However, no other assistance has been extended.

The villagers are outraged at the police’s blatant lies. They insist that Shivam was murdered in custody and then hanged to stage a suicide. The police are now trying to intimidate the grieving family by threatening to arrest their eldest son.

Benipatti Police Brutality Against Imam Mohammad Firoz

Following their visit to Muzaffarpur, the CPI(ML) delegation proceeded to Benipatti in Madhubani, where they met Imam Mohammad Firoz, a victim of shocking police violence.

Narrating his ordeal, Imam Firoz recounted how he was targeted during a routine vehicle check. He was subjected to relentless beatings and anti-Muslim abuse. The police repeatedly pulled his beard, insulted him, and called him a ‘terrorist.’ He was ultimately released only after extorting money from him.

On the morning of January 29, around 9 AM, Firoz was detained and brutally assaulted inside the police station. Even a trainee DSP personally beat him up. The severity of the attack has left him hospitalised and living in fear. The CPI(ML) has called this a glaring example of the BJP’s communalisation of the police force.

The CPI(ML) has strongly condemned the state government’s failure to curb police atrocities and has vowed to intensify the struggle for justice. The party has demanded immediate arrests of all police officers involved in the custodial murder of Shivam Jha and the custodial torture of Imam Firoz.

With police impunity and extortion thriving under the BJP-backed Nitish Kumar regime, the CPI(ML) has warned that these cases will not go unchallenged. Large-scale protests and mass mobilisations are being planned to ensure accountability and justice for the victims.