Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday condemned the torching of houses in Nawada district and directed the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) to personally visit the site and oversee the probe.

Sources from the Chief Minister's Office said, "The CM condemned the incident and instructed the ADG (Law and Order) to monitor the probe on-site." He also emphasised the need to apprehend all suspects as quickly as possible.

Police have so far arrested 15 people, a day after arsonists torched 21 houses in Nawada's Manjhi Tola.

"The CM stressed that those who take the law into their own hands must be caught and punished. He directed all district magistrates and superintendents of police across the state to ensure that the rule of law prevails," a senior official of the CMO said.

Additionally, the CM instructed DMs and SPs to conduct searches in all local prisons to prevent any unlawful activities.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a land dispute may have triggered the violence, which occurred in Manjhi Tola within Mufassil police station area on Wednesday evening.

Nawada District Magistrate Ashutosh Kumar Verma told PTI, "The district police has arrested 15 people for allegedly torching the houses. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to further investigate the matter, and searches are ongoing to apprehend any remaining suspects." Verma said around 21 houses, some of which were semi-pucca, were destroyed by a group in Manjhi Tola. Senior administrative and police officials on-site will report the exact extent of the damage, he added.

"We are providing relief materials, including food packets and drinking water, to those displaced. Temporary tents have been set up for the victims," he added.

Verma refuted claims that cattle were charred in the incident, stating, "No evidence has been found to support that." Following the incident, Nawada SP Abhinav Dhiman had said, "A call was received around 7 PM regarding the fire in Manjhi Tola. Police arrived promptly with fire engines and extinguished the blaze." He confirmed that initial investigations suggest a land dispute as the motive and that a case has been registered. Another police officer claimed that shots were fired in the air during the arson.

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