Fresh violence erupted in Munger on Thursday even as the Election Commission (EC) shifted out Bihar’s Munger District Magistrate Rajesh Meena and Superintendent of Police Lipi Singh. The protesters set some police stations and outposts on fire and ransacked the SP office.
The EC has also ordered an enquiry into the firing and stone-pelting during the immersion of an idol of Goddess Durga on late on Monday in which one person had died and several others were injured. The poll body has asked Magadh Divisional Commissioner Asangba Chuba Ao to complete the probe within a week. The EC has also asked the State Government to appoint a new DM and SP in the district soon.
Meanwhile, in a fresh violence, the agitated crowd, comprising mostly youth, set police outposts at Purab Sarai and Basudeopur on fire, and ransacked the SP office and several other police stations and outposts. The office of SDO was also allegedly targeted by the protesters.
Witnesses said that finding themselves outnumbered, the police personnel at all these stations escaped from the premises.
The protest started from Bata Chowk of Munger Town at around 10.30 am when some 50 people gathered to carry out a peaceful protest against the local administration. As protesters left Bata Chowk towards DM Office and Kotwali, more people joined. Some of them even damaged vehicles parked by the roadside. Official said the agitators went berserk and also tried to set Kotwali and Kasim Bazar police stations on fire, but there they faced a strong resistance from the policemen who fired in the air to disperse the mob. They burnt tyres near Rajiv Chowk in the Munger town. A policeman was injured while trying to control the mob. So far, the Munger Police have detained over 100 people in connection with the violence.
The protesters had been shouting slogans against now shifted-out SP Lipi Singh for her failure to control the violence, which left one person dead and over three dozen people injured. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Munger, Manu Maharaj led a flag march in Munger town to bring the situation under control. Prohibitory orders have been imposed under CrPC section of 144.
Amid violence and protests, the EC issued order saying “In the light of prevailing situation in Munger, the ECI has ordered immediate removal of the SP and the DM Munger. The ECI has also ordered inquiry into the entire incident by Mr Asangba Chuba Ao, Divisional Commissioner, Magadh, which has to be completed within next seven days”.
The Munger incident happened on late Monday night at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Chowk under the Kotwali police station limits of the city. While people alleged the young man, who was in his early 20s, died in police firing, the administration said he was hit by a bullet fired by somebody from among the crowd. The Opposition attack on the ruling party is apparently based on the fact that Munger Superintendent of Police Lipi Singh is the daughter of RCP Singh, the Janata Dal-United leader in the Rajya Sabha.
The Opposition Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have condemned the incident and demanded that the Prime Minister immediately dismiss the Nitish Kumar Government. Sharing a video which has gone viral on social media, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala asked, “Will the BJP-JD(U) Government thrash Goddess Durga worshippers like animals?...Will the BJP-JD(U) Government kill people for immersing Durga idol?...The Munger police firing has reminded us about General Dyer of the Jallianwala Bagh incident of 1919.”