The father of Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani was on Tuesday found dead in his home in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, reported PTI.

The body of Jitan Sahani, 69, had several stab wounds and cuts on the chest and stomach, reported PTI.

Police officials said that a blunt object was used to attack Jitam Sahani, according to The Indian Express. Quoting unidentified officials, the newspaper reported that he was murdered at around 3.30 am.

Jitan Sahani stayed alone in his home in Supaul Bazar in Dhanshyampur. Mukesh Sahani, a former minister in the Bihar Cabinet, was reportedly in Mumbai at the time of the incident.

“Prima facie, it appears that Jitan Sahani tried to put up resistance,” said Jagunath Reddy, Darbhanga’s senior superintendent of police. “We are looking at all possible angles, including personal enmity.”

The Bihar Police also said that a Special Investigation Team has been formed to investigate the murder.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Bihar’s Minister of Road Construction Nitin Nabin speculated that personal enmity was behind the killing, reported ANI.

Union minister Jitin Ram Manjhi expressed his condolences to the Sahani family. “It should be seriously investigated as to why he was murdered,” Manjhi said.

“One wonders who is safe in Bihar now,” said Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav after news of the incident broke. “We have been talking all along about worsening law and order.”

His party colleague Manoj Jha said that Bihar’s residents were suffering due to poor maintenance of law and order, reported ANI.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that the police’s Special Investigation Team would “investigate the issue at the earliest and the accused will be put behind bars”.

“Bihar has the fastest working police force in the country…the accused will not be spared,” said Choudhary.

The Vikassheel Insaan Party had joined the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Opposition alliance in the state comprises mainly the Congress along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and three Left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).