Police firing toll rises to six, BJP calls Bagha bandh on Wednesday

With one more person succumbing to injuries, the toll in Monday's police firing on a mob in Bagha police district rose to six even as the Officer In-charge (OC) of Naurangia police station has been placed under suspension, police sources said on Tuesday.

Naurangia OC Vinay Kumar has been put under suspension for yesterday's police firing incident, Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar said.

Other policemen involved in firing on the mob yesterday have been exiled from the district on instruction from senior officers, police sources said.

Report would be send to the government for action against Deputy Superintendent of Police Shailesh Kumar, who lead the police team that opened fire, they said.

One more person succumbed to injuries late last night taking the toll in the police firing to six in which about 25 policemen had also received injuries in stone pelting by villagers mostly tribals.

Two-member probe team comprising Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) S K Bhardwaj and Director General (Prison) Anand Kishore send on order of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today talked to cross-section of people about the incident.

Inspector General of Police, Tirhut zone, Pankaj Kumar Darda is also camping in the district.

The SP said that the situation was normal in the district. A police team had gone to Katharawa village to probe a murder case of youth on Monday when a mob started pelting stones on the police team which opened fire.

The Nitish Kumar government received flak from opposition parties including BJP over the Bagha incident. The BJP has called for a Bagha bandh on Wednesday. A high-level party team under Sushil Kumar Modi will visit Bagha on Wednesday in connection with the incident.

Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly Nandkishore Yadav and state BJP president Mangal Pandey have strongly criticised the incident and demanded adequate compensation for victims family. Lalu Prasad's RJD also condemned the police firing on schedule tribes and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on moral ground.

State RJD President Ramchandra Purve told reporters in the capital the Nitish Kumar government was "raining lathis and bullets on citizens."

Bihar Congress chief Ashok Chaudhary demanded an inquiry by sitting Patna HC judge.

Ramvilas Paswan's LJP has extended support to CPI-ML which has called a Bagha bandh on June 27 to protest the incident.