Bettiah: A 24-year-old youth sustained a bullet injury in an accidental firing at Nandpur Naya Tola village under the Narkatiaganj subdivision of West Champaran district on Saturday night. The incident occurred when a youth, whom the victim had offered a lift on his motorcycle, opened fire during a clash with a group of people. The injured man, Ranjeet Kumar Sharma, a resident of Kathgharwa village, is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bettiah.The victim told reporters that he was returning home on his motorcycle after attending a feast at Hardiya Chowk when the incident took place. Near Krishi Bazaar Road, a youth identified as Ramesh Raut of Nandpur Naya Tola requested him to drop him at Nandpur Dhala.“When we reached there, he asked me to drop him further into the village. As we reached near a local school in Nandpur Naya Tola, I saw a group of youths standing there. While I was dropping him off and preparing to leave, a heated argument broke out among them. Ramesh suddenly fired a shot in the air. Sensing danger, I sped up my bike, but I was shot from behind and fell off the motorcycle after being hit. The group fled the spot,” Sharma said.Dr Santosh Kumar of the Narkatiaganj subdivisional hospital, who provided initial treatment, said the victim’s condition was serious. “The bullet appears to be lodged in his back as there is no exit wound. After first aid, he was referred to GMCH for advanced surgical intervention,” the doctor said.Narkatiaganj SDPO Jaiprakash Singh said police reached the spot soon after receiving information, along with a forensic team, and recovered an empty cartridge from the spot. “The motive behind the firing is not yet clear, and efforts are on to identify and arrest the accused,” he said.
