Three members of a family were beaten to death with iron rods and three others suffered head injuries at Mahmadpur Kurji in Phulwarisharif, 12 km from Patna, late on Sunday night. Irate villagers have asked for a police picket, regular patrolling and granting of arms licenses to villagers immediately. They, however, strongly ruled out family enmity, caste war or robbery as possible motives.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a police headquarters team to look into the case of “weird and random killings”. He also played down Maoists’ involvement asking why they should target landless people. The Government would decide on compensation at a later stage.

Bhola Singh (75), his wife Suryawati Devi (70), their grandson Suryakant (14) have been identified as the deceased. The couple’s daughter Sanju Devi (38) and son-in-law Mahesh Sharma (45) and Nishikant, a grandson from another daughter, have been admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) with serious head injuries. Five-year-old Vikrant alias Chhotu, another grandson of Singh, escaped as the assailants did not see him hiding behind a cot in the same room in which his grandparents were sleeping.