E-Paper
Begusarai firing: 7 police personnel who were on patrolling duty suspended
Two unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire at 10 locations in Begusarai on Tuesday evening, resulting in the death of a 25-year-old man and injuring 10 others. Among those injured, as many as four are stated to be critical.
A day after a string of firing incidents in Bihar's Begusarai district killed a man and injured 10 others, the state police suspended as many as seven police officials. Bihar additional director general of police Jitendra Singh Gangwar said prima facie a patrolling party was on the streets and yet, they either failed to stop the criminals or failed to do proper checking. “In this connection, seven police officials have been suspended with immediate effect,” he told a media gathering.
Regarding the CCTV footage, Gangwar said police were verifying their identities. Begusarai SP Yogendra Kumar said five people had been detained since Tuesday night, and the interrogation was underway. He added that as many as four teams to track down the accused have been formed. “Teams [are] raiding neighbouring districts at all suspected spots. CCTVs have been checked from which we have ascertained important information,” Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The SP said all borders of Begusarai district have been sealed and check posts put up. Furthermore, all persons who were recently released from prison are being identified, and the process of finding common suspects from them is currently underway.
Earlier in the day, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar spoke with director general of police (DGP) SK Singhal to enquire about the firing incident.
Two unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire at 10 locations in Begusarai on Tuesday evening, police said. The first firing was reported from a region under the Teghra police station limits shortly after 6pm. The remaining nine firings were reported from Bachhwara, Phulwaria, Barauni and Chakia police station areas in the next 40 minutes, a police officer revealed.
All the 10 firings took place within 30-kilometre distance.
Begusarai deputy inspector general of police, Satyaveer Singh, said that the assailants appeared to have entered from Patna. He added that a high alert has been sounded in both the Bihar capital and Begusarai following the incident.
The deceased was identified as 25-year-old Chandan, who died of bullet injuries at a local hospital. Of the 10 injured undergoing treatment, four are stated to be critical.
The incident has drawn flak from the BJP at the opposition in Bihar, with Union minister Giriraj Singh - the saffron party's MP from Begusarai - saying that there is “no government in Bihar, and no fear of law among criminals”.
He amped up his attacks on the newly formed Mahagathbandhan regime in the eastern state earlier today, saying that whenever this coalition is made, “law and order situation deteriorates”.
Spokesperson of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) - one of the primary ruling parties of the Mahagathbandhan - Chitranjan Ganjan said that the incident has been committed to “tarnish the image of Bihar”.
