Mob protests ‘custodial death’ of Bihar man held with liquor

BHABUA: Many people were injured when police opened fire and resorted to batoncharge to quell an angry mob protesting against an alleged custodial death of a person who was earlier arrested with liquor in dry Bihar’s Kaimur district on Wednesday.

A bystander, Rakesh Paswan, 16, allegedly received gunshot injuries and many other people were wounded in a stampede following police baton-charge on the mob that had blocked the Bhabua-Adhaura road demanding registration of murder case against Bhagwanpur police SHO Chandramani and his arrest.

Angry over police action, the mob attacked Bhagwanpur police station and indulged in heavy brick-batting. Six policemen, including Bhabua sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Ajay Prasad, were injured in the mob attack.

Kaimur superintendent of police Harpreet Kaur has denied that Paswan was hurt in police firing. She quoted doctors as saying that the boy was wounded by blunt objects.

Hospital records, however, said Paswan had received firearm injury on his left hand.

Kaur said a case had registered for attack on policemen as well as police station. Policemen were trying to identify the attackers with the help of video footage, she said.

The Bhagwanpur station house officer (SHO) had been shifted to police lines and sub inspector Dhananjay Kumar Singh had been posted in his place, Kaur added.

The trouble started when and angry mob blocked the Bhabua-Adhaura road at Bhagwanpur to protest the alleged custodial death of physically-challenged Puran Chero. The protestors were demanding action against the Bhagwanpur SHO and compensation of Rs 20 lakh, a government job and an Indira Awas Yojna unit to the victim’s family.