<p>Fifty-five-year old Rajdeo Rai, a farmer, was gunned down in Vaishali district because he protected a minor girl from a gang-rape bid. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The unidentified criminals, riding on three motorcycles, initially stabbed Rai with a knife and then fired bullets into his chest before escaping unchallenged at Biddupur, some 35 km from Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali. <br /><br />Rai, in September last, had saved and sheltered a minor girl when she escaped from the clutches of miscreants who had already gang-raped two other girls on the embankment of the village. Later, Rai became a witness in the case. Since then, he was on the hit list of the culprits.<br /><br />“In September last year, three minor girls from dalit families were caught by criminals, out of which two were gang-raped, while the third girl, who managed to flee, was saved by Rajdeo. Later, an FIR was lodged against six people, including notorious criminal Arvind Gope,” said Vaishali SP Suresh Choudhary.<br /><br />The SP said following Rajdeo’s killing on Sunday, his son Rahul has lodged an FIR against nine people, including Arvind Gope, Karu and Surendra who were earlier accused of gang-rape.<br /><br /> In the meantime, the victim girls and their family members are spending sleepless nights out of fear of reprisal from criminals.</p>
<p>Fifty-five-year old Rajdeo Rai, a farmer, was gunned down in Vaishali district because he protected a minor girl from a gang-rape bid. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The unidentified criminals, riding on three motorcycles, initially stabbed Rai with a knife and then fired bullets into his chest before escaping unchallenged at Biddupur, some 35 km from Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali. <br /><br />Rai, in September last, had saved and sheltered a minor girl when she escaped from the clutches of miscreants who had already gang-raped two other girls on the embankment of the village. Later, Rai became a witness in the case. Since then, he was on the hit list of the culprits.<br /><br />“In September last year, three minor girls from dalit families were caught by criminals, out of which two were gang-raped, while the third girl, who managed to flee, was saved by Rajdeo. Later, an FIR was lodged against six people, including notorious criminal Arvind Gope,” said Vaishali SP Suresh Choudhary.<br /><br />The SP said following Rajdeo’s killing on Sunday, his son Rahul has lodged an FIR against nine people, including Arvind Gope, Karu and Surendra who were earlier accused of gang-rape.<br /><br /> In the meantime, the victim girls and their family members are spending sleepless nights out of fear of reprisal from criminals.</p>
