Five policemen, including a station house officer, in Bihar’s Vaishali district were suspended on Friday for dereliction of duty, days after the murder of a Rashtriya Lok Samta Party leader, PTI reported.

Manish Sahani, who was the district president of the party’s extremely backward castes cell, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen on August 13 while he was walking out of his office, which is located near a police station.

After the murder, Sahani’s supporters allegedly hurled stones at the police station in protest. The police opened fire in retaliation, injuring at least seven people. The protestors then attacked the Jandaha block office, damaged public property and set the police station on fire.

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“Five policemen including Jandaha police station SHO Shobhakant Paswan, an assistant sub-inspector and three other members of patrolling party did not give a chase to the culprits on the day of the incident,” Superintendent of Police Manavjeet Singh Dhillon told reporters in Hajipur, which is the district headquarters.

The police have filed a first information report against 10 people, including a Janata Dal (United) legislator, in connection with the murder.