One Killed as Police-Flood Victims Clash in Saharsa
Saharsa: Aug. 12, 2007
One person was reported dead after the police in Sonebarsa block office in Saharsa district on Sunday used batons to disperse a belligerent crowd after hundreds of people seeking flood relief items went on a rampage accusing the local administration of irregularities in the distribution of relief packages.
The police resorted to lathi charge after nearly two thousand people, including a large number of women, pelted the Sonebarsa BDO's office with stones and bricks demanding to see the BDO and the mukhia who were away from their offices at the time the incident took place.
Angry at their absence, the mob ransacked the block office which led the police to resort to lathi charge.
While dozens of people were reported hurt in the police retaliation, one man who was identified as the 35-year old Binu Sharma of Pararia Panchayat, died at a local hospital allegedly due to injury in his head.
Several police officials were also hurt in the attack, sources said.
The situation was brought under control only after District Magistrate Niranjan Kumar Chowdhary, local legislator Kishore Kumar Munna, and other officials intervened and announced the administration's decision to suspend the BDO and the local police station in-charge Pankaj Kumar Singh
The crowd dispersed after the legislator announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to the family of the victim.
Chowdhary said that while there was no shortage of relief items, insufficient numbers of volunteers were causing delay in the relief operation.
An investigation has been launched to probe the incident, the DM said.
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