Bihar: Police firing kills one during demonstration over poor power supply

Katihar/Patna, Jul 26 (PTI) A 34-year-old man was killed while several others, including security personnel, were injured when the police opened fire on Wednesday in Katihar district of Bihar following stone-pelting by protesters demanding better power supply.

Power department employees also suffered injuries in the incident that took place close to Barsoi police station.

Condemning the police firing, the BJP demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Nearly 1,000 local residents were staging a demonstration in front of the power department office. Some anti-social elements had found their way into the crowd and started hurling stones.

"When a police party tried to quell the disruptors, they too were attacked with bricks, stones and sticks”, a statement issued by the police headquarters said in Patna.

The police shared pictures of policemen wearing bandages on their heads and limbs.

“After repeated pleas for order were ignored and the attacks on police continued, limited and controlled use of gunfire was resorted to for self-protection and with a view to bringing the situation under control,” the statement said.

The police acknowledged the death of one person who was in the crowd and injuries to two other protesters.

Katihar Police identified the deceased as Khurshid Alam, a resident of Baasal village, while the two other protesters who suffered injuries are said to be residents of nearby villages.

All the injured people are under treatment at the sub-division hospital in Barasoi.

A case has been lodged and the district magistrate and the SP were camping at the site.

Meanwhile, the incident drew sharp criticism from the opposition BJP as also the CPI(ML)-Liberation, which supports the Nitish Kumar government from outside.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai issued a statement alleging that the incident reflected “barbarism” of the government helmed by the chief minister’s JD(U) and the RJD, the largest constituent of the state’s ruling Mahagathbandhan.

He also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, who belongs to the RJD, blaming them for recent incidents of lathi charge on similar protests in the state capital by teachers’ job aspirants and ASHA workers.

The CPI(ML)-L, which is a part of the Mahagathbandhan though not a part of the government, accused the BJP of “instigating the crowd” in Katihar.

The party’s legislature party leader Mehboob Alam, who is the MLA from Balrampur under which Barsoi falls, also demanded “Rs 20 lakh compensation” to the next of kin of the deceased and ex-gratia to those who were injured.

“The crowd suddenly got violent and we are sure that the BJP had provoked them. Its workers thrive in lawlessness as was evident from their throwing chilli powder at police personnel during a recent demonstration”, said Alam.

The reference was to the “Vidhan Sabha” march, in protest against the teacher recruitment policy of the state, staged on July 13 when one of the protesters, Vijay Kumar Singh, died.

The post-mortem examination report has suggested that the death was caused by a heart attack and there were no injury marks on the body of the deceased.

Alam, however, added that the police should have exercised restraint and should not have opened fire.

"Accountability must be fixed in the matter and action should be taken against police personnel who might be found guilty”, he said. PTI PKD NAC NN