A local Rashtriya Janata Dal leader was shot dead on Thursday by unidentified people in Bihar’s Samastipur district, IANS reported, quoting police.

Raghuvar Rai was out for a morning walk near his home at the time of the incident. He was shot dead by two people on a motorcycle, District Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur said. Rai was a former member of the district council.

Hundreds of his supporters blocked the Samastipur-Darbhanga Road after the incident and burned tyres to demand the arrest of the assailants.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the incident. “Put a check on the government-protected goons,” he wrote on Twitter. “For what purpose are you sticking to the position of home minister? Criminals protected by you are killing leaders of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal one by one but your lips remain sealed.”

On January 1, another RJD leader, Indal Paswan, was shot dead in Nalanda district. A mob protesting his death had allegedly lynched two people, including a 14-year-old boy, a day later.