Patna, May 24 : Three individuals were gunned down and two others critically injured in a violent clash that broke out between two groups in Bihar's Buxar district on Saturday morning.

The incident occurred at Ahiyapur village under Rajpur police station in Buxar district.

The incident stemmed from a long-standing property dispute that escalated after a heated argument the day prior.

The deceased have been identified as Sunil Singh (40), son of Daya Shankar Singh, and Vinod Singh (50), son of Baban Singh, lost their lives on the spot due to gunshot injuries while Virendra Singh (35), son of Kashinath Singh succumbed due to the injuries in the hospital.

Two others, Pujan Singh (40), son of Lalan Singh, and Mantu Singh (35), son of Daya Shankar Singh, sustained critical injuries and are battling for their lives in the hospital.

Following the incident, angry villagers and relatives of the victims blocked the Chausa-Kochas main road near Jalhara market, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. A long traffic jam also developed on this road as well as the adjoining Jalhara-Kauwa Khonch road, causing significant traffic disruption.

Speaking to IANS, SDPO Dheeraj Kumar confirmed the incident and said, 'As soon as we received the information, we reached the spot. We are trying to pacify the agitated villagers and maintain peace and order.'

Buxar SP Shubham Arya and Rajpur SHO also arrived at the scene to take stock of the situation and initiate an in-depth investigation.

The district police have recovered the dead bodies and sent them to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem. An FIR of murder under the relevant section of Bhartiya Nyay Sahita is under process against the accused. This incident has created a significant law and order situation in the region.

Police have launched a manhunt to identify and arrest the accused. A heavy police deployment is currently in place to prevent further escalation.

/IANS