The BJP-sponsored Bagaha bandh in protest against police firing on tribals that claimed six lives evoked mixed response on Wednesday. While government offices, schools and banks remained open, markets were shut in the day-long bandh. Vehicular traffic was thin, official reports said.
Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar said the bandh was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere. Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi visited Bagha and met the victims' families. He also paid a visit to those injured in Monday's firing and are now in hospital at Bettiah.
Condemning the 'brutal and unprovoked' police firing, Modi hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying "The CM is busy mustering majority and poaching legislators of other parties and has no time for adminstration".
"Governance has become a casualty in Bihar after parting of company with BJP," Modi said. "Police fired more than 50 rounds though there was no evidence of pre-firing violence ... This is the biggest firing incident under Nitish Kumar government," he said, adding policemen responsible for firing on 'innocent' tribals should be booked under section 302 (murder) of IPC.
BJP, he said, supports the tribals' demand of Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of each victim and government job to one member. Bettiah BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP leader Chandramohan Rai and three MLAs, including independent legislator Dilip Verma who had voted against the trust vote of Nitish Kumar, acompanied Modi.
Left parties have also called Bagha bandh on Thursday on the same issue. The two-member probe team comprising Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), S K Bhardwaj and Director General Prisons, Anand Kishore left Bagha after recording the statement of the people.
Inspector General of Police, Muzaffarpur zone, Pankaj Kumar Darad is camping at Bagha, police said.
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