Police firing on protestors demanding continuous power supply to a town in Bihar's Bhagalpur district in the last two days left three persons dead.
KAHALGAON/PATNA: Police firing on protestors demanding continuous power supply to a town in Bihar's Bhagalpur district in the last two days left three persons dead, after which the state government on Saturday announced a judicial inquiry and suspension of two officials.
Mohd. Khairo (18) was killed and another person identified as Mohd. Aslam injured when the police opened fire on a crowd that set ablaze a local referral hospital and attacked police with stones in Pathanpura locality of Kahalgaon town, official sources said.
A student Sumit Kumar was killed in police firing on Friday while another, who was injured, succumbed during treatment on Saturday.
Though the identity of the man who died during treatment was not established yet, Bhagalpur superintendent of police J Gangwar said that from the word 'Shubul' tatooed on his hand it appeared it was his name. Nobody has turned up to claim his body.
In Patna Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a judicial probe into the firing and other incidents at Kahalgaon and ordered suspension of SDO S N Srivastava and deputy SP B N Jha.
Earlier, principal home secretary Afzal Amanullah, who along with additional director-general of police (headquarters) Abhayanand visited the troubled town, told a gathering of protestors that Dy SP, SDO, block development officer and officer in-charge of the local police station had been transferred.
A spokesman for the chief minister's office said that the officer in-charge of Kahalgaon police station and BDO have not been suspended.
Asked who would head the inquiry panel, he said the law department would send a proposal to the state government after which the name of the judge would be finalised in consultation with the Patna High Court.
Amanullah also announced release of 60-odd persons arrested during the protests, an ex-gratia payment of Rs one lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and treatment at the state's expenses of those injured.
Violent protests had broken out in Kahalgaon after thousands of people took to streets under the banner of Citizen's Action Forum demanding round-the-clock power supply to the town which hardly gets 4-5 hours of electricity despite boasting of an NTPC thermal power station. Over 50 persons were injured in street fighting.
Thousands of people descended on streets at the crack of the dawn on Sunday to protest against the firing and set ablaze the referral hospital, an ambulance and the chief medical officer's jeep. They also attacked the police when they tried to prevent the arson, prompting them to open fire in which Mohd Khairo was killed and Mohd Aslam injured.
The town observed an undeclared bandh with shops and business establishments, government and private offices and educational institutions closed.
Though clashes have stopped now, contingents of Rapid Action Force, Special Auxiliary Police comprising ex-servicemen and District Armed Police are maintaining a tight vigil, official sources said.
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