Three Dalit children were charred to death and another was seriously injured during Holika Dahan in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya on Sunday evening.

The incident happened at Rahul Nagar village under Moratal panchayat where the four children aged around 12 to 13 years had gone to put offerings in the bonfire of wood (Holika) that is burnt on the eve of Holi. They were placing the offerings when somebody lit the bonfire from two sides. The fire spread quickly and the children got trapped in it. People heard their screams and managed to pull them out after much effort, but three of them were charred to death by then and one was writhing in pain. The injured child was admitted to a hospital in a serious condition and is battling for life.

“It was an accident that snuffed out the lives of three children. The parents should not have let them go near the bonfire. Our village is not celebrating Holi this year because of the incident,” Nandu Manjhi, a resident of Rahul Nagar, told reporters.

None of the victims’ families have lodged a police complaint. They performed the last rites of the deceased near the Falgu river.

Bodh Gaya station house officer Mitesh Kumar said: “The villagers cremated the deceased children on Monday morning. They have not lodged any complaint so far.”

Several other mishaps and crimes were reported from different parts of the state, which witnessed slightly low-key celebrations of the festival of colours on Monday following the government’s ban on public gatherings in the wake of the surge in Covid cases.

A woman at Pandeypatti village under Muffasil police station in Buxar district was shot at and injured on Monday when she opposed the playing of obscene songs by a group of youths near her house.

One of the revellers whipped out a pistol and shot her. The youths fled after the incident while villagers took the injured woman to the government hospital.

Buxar sub-divisional police officer Gorakh Ram said: “The firing happened during a dispute over the playing of songs. The woman has suffered a bullet injury in her leg. We are investigating the matter.”

Two persons were killed near Mushahri village under Parsauni police station in Sitamarhi district on Holi after the motorcycles they were riding collided with each other.

On the other hand, two groups of people clashed with each other over a land dispute in Madhubani district on Monday. One person was shot dead while five were left injured in the incident.

Earlier, a speeding truck rammed into a sweets and snacks shop at Telhara in Nalanda district, killing six persons on Sunday.

The locals, angered over the incident, attacked the Telhara police station and torched several vehicles parked on its campus.