33 years later, a conviction in Bihar’s Vaishali district

Published 7 June 2026 · india

The 85-year-old Deep Rai hardly remembers anything about the incident that took place 33 years ago. Sleeping on a charpai (cot) in a dhoti, he

The 85-year-old Deep Rai hardly remembers anything about the incident that took place 33 years ago. Sleeping on a charpai (cot) in a dhoti, he stares at the ceiling. His house is in Jurawanpur village, in Bihar’s Vaishali district. Sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment by the Vaishali Court on June 2, 2026, Deep is one of the five accused who have been convicted in an attempt to murder case and violations of the Arms Act. His daughter, Uma Devi, 50, tries to keep him cool and stirs the hot air gently with a hand-fan. There is not much relief from the 40°C heat outside. The house holds just the father and daughter, with villagers dropping in to visit. His wife Munnar Devi, died 15 years ago at 70, and his son and daughter-in-law, in their 50s, now look after Deep. He cannot walk anymore, crippled by arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, and spends the day mostly asleep on the cot. Still, in the manner of those who rise with the sun, he wakes at 5 a.m. Uma says he has only a few teeth left so he is mostly on a liquid diet of sattu (roasted gram powder), milk, and rice mashed in its starch water. On the day of the verdict, his son and a few villagers managed to get him into an auto, and took him to the court in Hajipur, nearly 35 kilometres from the village. The court gave Deep bail the same day, and the family plans to appeal to the High Court. In December 2025, the then Deputy Chief Minister, now Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had said that there were over 1.8 million pending cases in various courts across Bihar. The family and village When asked about committing the crime, Deep shakes his head, saying no. “Maine kuch nahi kiya,” (I have not done anything), he says, his voice feeble, almost choking. Uma is quick to intervene: “He has not done anything wrong in his entire life, and his name was unnecessarily dragged into this case.

It was really painful for him when he was being taken to court. Do you think that at this age, he can even move an inch? Despite that, he had to do so due to a court order.” His neighbour, who joins the conversation, says Deep had not been out of his village for several years. He says that the day of the judgment, Deep needed help to climb nearly 40 stairs to reach the first floor courtroom. The family is dependent on farming and also earns a living by selling milk from their two cows and two buffaloes. The house, constructed 10 years ago, lies incomplete and unpainted, and just two rooms have an electricity connection. They still cook food using cow dung cakes. The village, with a population of about 8,000, is situated in the taal (wetland) and diara (riverine) areas, and is prone to flooding. The roads are crumbling and there is heavy load shedding. The village falls under the Raghopur assembly constituency, represented by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly. The dispute and trial On December 10, 1992, in the Jurawanpur village in Vaishali district, a dispute started over mirrors being spread across a pathway. While details of why this was being done are scarce now, it is common practice in Bihar’s villages to upset the lives of people they are in disputes with. According to the court’s verdict, Adalat Rai was at his doorstep when nine people, including Deep, began laying glass on the road. One of the nine had purchased land from a man whose house was on the same road as Adalat’s. Adalat and Udesh Rai, a fellow villager, objected. Deep abused them and left. He and the others later returned armed with guns. Four peosons were hit by bullets, with Adalat getting shot in his hand, leg, and face. His aunt was also injured when she tried to intervene. Medical reports confirmed Adalat’s bullet injury.