Nitish Kumar orders inquiry: One killed in firing during Bihar clash

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) National President Nitish Kumar in Patna. (Source: PTI Photo/File)

A person was killed in firing and over a dozen people, including five policemen, were injured on Friday during a clash between the law enforcers and residents in Samastipur. Over 100 residents had stalled traffic and damaged a portion of Tajpur police station over alleged police inaction in identifying the killers of a medicine trader who was murdered on Wednesday. The Samastipur administration issued prohibitory orders under CrPc Section 144 and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered an inquiry by the Tirhut commissioner and range deputy inspector-general of police.

A senior police officer said though the police opened fire, there are chances that some anti-social elements also used firearms. The inquiry would find out whose bullet caused death of the Samastipur resident who was identified as Jitendra Kumar (24).

Police said Jitendra was among protesters who had stalled traffic between Tajpur and Samastipur and Tajpur and Begusarai in the morning over death of medicine trader Janardhan Thakur (55).

The protesters later moved towards Tajpur police station and torched and damaged about half a dozen government and private vehicles and reportedly started pelting the police station with stones, leading to a clash with the police. Jitendra succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.

Samastipur SP Deepak Ranjan said: “We had to seek additional deployment. We did open fire but the youth was not hit by a police bullet. We had to issue prohibitory orders to control the situation. We have so far arrested 10 people.”

A press statement from the chief minister’s office said Nitish had ordered inquiry into the Samastipur incident.
Road traffic via Tajpur has been restored by Friday evening.