Two Killed in Police Firing in Begusarai over Food Coupons
Begusarai: Mar. 16, 2007
Two persons were killed and nearly half a dozen injured when the police in Matihani block in Begusarai district, on Friday, opened fire at a mob that attacked the block office after alleging irregularities in the distribution of food stamps, officials in Patna said.
While the villagers accused the police of opening more than 24 rounds of fire on a crowd that was waiting outside the block office to receive their food coupons, officials said some criminal elements in the crowd opened fire at the police first and tried to set the block office on fire.
The two men, both in his sixties, were identified as Baleshwar Sah and Vishwanath Mishra.
Angry at the killings of two individuals, the angry mob then torched four government vehicles and pelted the officers with stones. Three policemen were hurt in the attack, reports said.
The mob took the two dead bodies in its possession and blocked the road for hours demanding compensation for the families of the victims and actions against policemen who opened fire at the crowd.
Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah, while calling the incident unfortunate, said the government has ordered an investigation into it.
In the lack of adequate security, the Block Development Officer and the police station in-charge had to run to save their lives.
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