A youth leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal was shot dead in Sheikhpura village in Bihar’s Siwan district early on Saturday. Minhaj Khan, the district general secretary of the RJD Yuva Morcha is believed to have been a close associate of former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabudin who is convicted in a number of criminal cases, the Hindustan Times reported.

The district police is investigating the murder. Officers claimed to have defused a live bomb they found outside Khan’s house, besides a gallon of petrol, according to Dainik Jagran.

Khan was asleep when unidentified assailants entered his house and shot him dead. His family members, who were woken up by the sound of the gunshot, saw him covered in blood in his bed. They told the police that Raju Khan, a criminal, and his accomplices had murdered the youth leader.

A number of villagers gathered at his house on Saturday morning once news of his death spread. The police suspect rivalry and personal animosity to be the motive behind the crime.