Many hurt in police action on mob protesting alleged custodial death of man arrested with liquor in dry Bihar

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

Many people were injured when police opened fire and resorted to baton charge 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.

Agitated over the alleged custodial death, an angry mob blocked Bhabua-Adhaura road at Bhagwanpur in Bihar’s Kaimur district. (HT photo)

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, 205 km southwest of state capital, Patna, 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.

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.

Chero, a resident of hilly village Parari, was arrested with illegal liquor on Saturday and slipped into coma after suffering a stroke during custody. He was referred to Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi, where he died during treatment on Wednesday.

Family members and villagers of Parari, however, alleged that Chero died due to police assault after his arrest.

When the blockade and traffic jam continued after sunset, a police team, led by the SDPO, used mild force to disperse the mob. This angered the protestors, who indulged in heavy brick batting on the police. The police fired in the air and resorted to baton charge when the mob tried to enter the police station. Many shops and vehicles were also damaged in the police action, locals claimed.

On Thursday morning, shopkeepers blocked a road at Bhagwanpur demanding action against police who allegedly assaulted innocent passersby and traders and compensation for the damage. The blockade was lifted after assurance of appropriate action by the district administration.

The SP, meanwhile, said the post-mortem examination of Chero was videographed in the presence of a magistrate following allegations of police assault.