Although an enquiry has been started into Badkagaon firing, MlA Nirmala Devi is still traceless after she went missing on Saturday night from the agitation site. This has prompted her husband and former Minister Yogendra Sao to file a petition in the High Court in order to make her free allegedly from the police confinement.
As many as four people were killed and several others injured when the ongoing protest of Barkagaon residents in Hazaribagh demanding to seize work at NTPC coal mining project turned ugly and security forces had to resort to firing on an irate mob trying to abduct senior officials. Nirmala Devi, along with the villagers, was sitting on ‘Kafan Satyagraha’ at Chirudih village to oppose the land acquisition by the NTPC since September 15.
Both police and her husband have been alleging each other of hiding her at some unknown place with an ulterior motive. “Still I have no idea where she is. As her mobile is switched off since yesterday, I could not talk to her. Tomorrow I will approach High Court to get my wife back from police custody,” said Yogendra Sao.
Police also expressed inability to tell about her whereabouts. “Still we have no idea about the MlA after the villagers snatched her away from the Police during the clash on Saturday,” said Hazaribagh SP Bhimsen Tuti.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma and DGP DK Pandey on Sunday visited the spot and took stock of the situation in Badkagaon. They also held a meeting with the local officials at Circuit House and met the injured persons in Sadar Hospital in Hazaribagh to get first hand information about the incident.
The three member investigation team — Home Secretary NN Pandey, Cabinet Secretary SS Meena and ADG Ajay Kumar Singh — ordered by Chief Minister Raghubar Das has also started their probe.
South Chotanagpur Commissioner and Hazaribagh DIG Upendra Kumar are assisting the team in the probe. “We assessed the situation over there and met several people. local administration has been told to enhance police deployment. We would submit the report soon,” said the Home Secretary.
Sao on the other hand, alleged that the probe team announced by the CM was only fulfilling the quorum and demanded to set up an inquiry not less that under a sitting judge. “My party leaders will soon meet Governor Droupadi Murmu and demand a judicial inquiry into the matter. Until and unless it is probed by a sitting judge, it could never be impartial,” he added.
Sao expressed concern over police not allowing anybody to go towards the site and also apprehended that more people might have been killed during the incident. “It was really surprising that even Congress State president Sukhdeo Bhagat was not allowed to go on the spot. I really doubt that few more people might have been killed in the incident and the police were trying to hide the facts. Several people are being reported to have gone missing since yesterday,” said Sao.
The Police however, said that the situation was completely under control on Saturday and dead bodies have been handed over to their family members after fulfilling the formalities. He however said that some Section 144 was still imposed on some parts of Badkagaon as precautionary measure.