Life comes to grinding halt during Kahalgaon bandh

Kahalgaon, Bihar, Jan 20 (UNI) Life remained paralysed for the second day today, following a dawn to dusk Kahalgaon bandh call by the locals yesterday protesting against the Bhagalpur firing.

Official sources said here that life was disrupted and the entire region wore a deserted look during the day as all the business establishments remained closed.

Vehicles remained off the roads and private educational institutions remained closed while the attendence in the government institutions was thin.

The sources said an irate mob blocked the NH 80 objecting any political intervention into their spontaneous agitation going on for the past three days against the erratic power supply.

Former CPI(M) MP Subodh Rai, who went to the spot to look into the matter, had to return immediately following the intense agitation.

The irate mob even manhandled a police officer of Kahalgaon police station in the market area during the protest.

Meanwhile, the District Magistrate and Police Superintendent were camping at the agitation site to personally monitor the situation.

Additional deployment of security personnel had been made in the sensitive pockets, the sources added.

The sources also informed that the minorities did not observe the Muharram in protest against the police firing, in which three people were killed.

The police had opened fire at the violent mob protesting against the grim power situation on Friday last in which two people were killed on the spot while, another person, namely Mohamad Aslam, was killed in the yesterday's police firing.

Later, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a judicial probe into Kahalgaon firing and suspension of Kahalgaon SDO Satyendra Nath Srivastav and DSP Birendra Nath Jha who were found prima-facie responsible for failing to contain the violence.

Mr Kumar had also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs one lakh each to the next of kin of the three deceased.

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