17 years after Bhagalpur riots, police lodges complaint

PATNA: Seventeen years after the Bhagalpur riots in which over a thousand Muslims were killed, Bihar Police has finally decided to lodge a complaint against the rioters.

Bhagalpur range DIG Grijanandan Sharma ordered Nathnagar police station in-charge to lodge an FIR against rioters who killed nine members of a Muslim family in October 1989. Police had not even made a dairy entry of the incident.

Sharma, who met the family members of riot victims on Friday, said the killers were roaming freely, a police official said.

Bihar Additional Director General of Police Abhyanand said on Saturday, "No complaint was lodged in the murder case."

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar instituted a fresh probe into the riots six months ago. His decision kindled hopes of many a victim whose dream of getting justice had dimmed in the last 17 years.

But the commission, headed by Justice (retd) N N Singh, started work on the case just a week ago - six months behind schedule. The commission was to submit an interim report and a final report within six months.

Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah said, "The state police has reopened 27 old cases and two special courts are hearing the cases."

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has described the probe as a political gimmick.

RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has challenged Nitish Kumar to take action against former Bharatiya Janata Party chief L K Advani for allegedly instigating communal riots in Bhagalpur.