One police officer died in mob violence at lalganj in Vaishali district when a furious mob turned violent and went on rampage attacking the police. The police fired in retaliation after heavy brickbatting in which one person died and one wounded on Wednesday.
Violent incidents have also been reported from Darbhanga and Begusarai after reports of clashes in Siwan. Police suspect a big mob had gathered at lalganj bazaar following an accident in which two people, an elderly man and his granddaughter were killed on Tuesday night. The locals attacked the house of the truck driver. The incident soon took a communal colour and spread to nearby areas. On Wednesday morning, people gathered and attacked the police and also torched some houses.
Director General of Police PK Thakur said soon after the incident, force was deployed in lalganj and a peace committee meeting was too held. But at the meeting some people clashed with the police and tried to ransack the police station and also torched police vehicles, Thakur told The Pioneer. “To control the ransacking mob which heavily pelted stones on the police there had been no other option but to open fire,” the DGP said, adding that the police outpost in-charge Ajit Kumar was killed in the mob violence.
In Darbhanga a minor incident took communal colour when some “kalash” (earthen pitchers) left by women were left behind to be used on Wednesday morning for Chhath were found broken. Thakur said this angered a section of people who clashed with the police. Police arrested four people in connection with the mischief but the angry crowd burned police vehicles.
Police was again attacked at Begusarai after a dead body of a man was brought from Mokama in Patna district on Wednesday. While the police found the person dying a natural death, the relatives of the deceased suspected that he has been poisoned and they attacked a neighbour who they suspected. The DGP said the police party was attacked by the mob.
Tension and panic is there where the incidents took place but, the DGP said heavy deployment have been made there to maintain peace. In administrative circles it is suspected that some political hand behind the communal tension and violence after the election.