Bihar: 1lkh compensation to victims firing

Patna, Mar 17: Bihar government today announced Rs one lakh compensation to the kin of those killed in a police firing at Matihani block in Begusarai district on Friday.

While making a statement over the incident in the Assembly, Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said the government had already ordered judicial inquiry to investigate the circumstances leading to police firing, in which two people were killed and several injured.

Mr Yadav said the block development officer and officer in-charge of Matihani had been transferred to ensure fair inquiry into the incident.

According to sources more than 1,000 people had gathered at block office yesterday despite earlier announcement by the district administration on postponement of distribution of ration coupons among the poor.

He further informed that police opened fire after failing to dissuade the irate mob.

''One bullet each was recovered from the bodies of the two victims during postmortem and had been sent for forensic test to ascertain whether they were killed in police firing or gun-shots from anti-socials during the incident,'' he added.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told reporters that the opposition was trying to create hindrance in distribution of ration coupons among the poor.

He said about 60 per cent of the ration coupons had been already distributed.

UNI