Some in the group of about six uniformed police officials that included SP Garima Mallik, who were present at the spot where a Bihar boy hit by a bullet in police firing and lying motionless was kicked repeatedly by a Home Guard jawan, were encouraging the jawan, saying “Maar saale ko (Hit the damned fellow).”
This gut-wrenching brutality, graphically captured on television cameras and shown for much of Saturday on Bihar’s local channels, caused widespread outrage across the state and called for a fresh assessment of the actions of the police forces under JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar’s leadership. Even as the Opposition RJD, LJP, Congress and Left parties condemned the police brutality and demanded a quick probe and fitting punishment for all the guilty, the ruling JD(U) and BJP did not appear equally moved.
The upcoming glucose and starch factory in Forbesganj, Auro Sundaram International Pvt Ltd, whose authorities had called in the police after hundreds of protesters reached its premises on Friday, is said to be owned by BJP MLC from Katihar Ashok Agrawal, who is known to be close to Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi of the BJP.
Home secretary Amir Subhani and ADGP (headquarters) Rajyavardhan Sharma visited the site for a probe on Saturday, but pleaded ignorance of the videotaped brutalities.
They also spoke little about fresh revelations that the police had fired at the protesters above the waist level and that the firing began without there being first a lathicharge, firing of rubber bullets or the use of water cannon.
Tension prevails in Forbesganj, a Muslim majority town close to the Nepal border, with the dead people’s relatives and supporters refusing to cremate them even a day after their deaths. The Araria SP and DM did not take phone calls from journalists for updates throughout Saturday.