Patna, Jul 20 (IANS): A day after a youth was stabbed by four persons in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, Superintendent of Police Hari Kishore Rai on Tuesday claimed that the incident was due to a spat over smoking.

"The stabbing incident was triggered after cigarette smoke was blown on the face of the victim. We have registered an FIR against four persons and our mobile team managed to arrest two of the accused," he said.

"Initially, the victim revealed the matter of Nupur Sharma in the complaint. During the investigation, this was not established. Hence, her name was not included in the FIR. Though, we are investigating the matter with all angles including the Nupur Sharma matter. Efforts are on to nab the remaining two accused," he added.

In a statement to the police, Ashish Kumar, the victim's brother, claimed that his brother Ankit Kumar, a native of Baheda Jahidpur village under Nanpur police station in Sitamarhi, went to Nanpur to eat paan on Monday evening, and was watching a video of Nupur Sharma which turned ugly for him.

As he was watching the video, four persons, named Gulab Rabbani alias Godda, Mohammad Nehal, Mohammad Hilal, and Mohammad Bilal objected to him watching and asked him to stop but he refused.

As per the statement, the accused first tried to humiliate him by blowing cigarette smoke on his face. When he argued with them, one of them attacked him with a knife and stabbed him a number of times.