Two men died in Katihar, not due to Police Firing: Police
29 Jul 2023 12:15:15
Katihar, Jul 29: The Katihar police officials on Friday said the two men killed in Bihar's Katihar during a protest did not die due to police firing but by bullets shot by an unidentified person. Sharing the CCTV footage of the firing incident that took place on Wednesday, Katihar Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar said it is visible in the video that the two deceased were shot by an unknown person.
"Today, we came here (at the incident spot) for an inquiry. We checked the CCTV camera. It is visible in the CCTV that a youth comes and opens fire at the deceased," SP Jitendra Kumar said, adding that a gun-toting man was seen "coming from the direction where the first death took place”.
“He can be then seen shooting at and injuring two other bystanders, one of whom died later," the official said. “We first went where the body was recovered and found that it was impossible for the bullet fired by the police to have hit the deceased, given the distance. The CCTV footage confirmed our doubts,” he added. Katihar District Magistrate Ravi Prakash said the officials have lodged two FIRs in the case. “One FIR has been filed by the electricity department and another by the police. The complaint filed by victim Sonu Sahu's family has been clubbed with both FIRs,” Ravi Prakash said. He said both FIRs have been lodged against named and unidentified persons, though he did not disclose the identities of the accused. He further informed that a two-member team comprising the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) and the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) has been formed to conduct a further inquiry into the incident. No arrests have been made in the case so far.
Two persons died while several others, including many police personnel and power department officials, were injured in the district's Barsoi area where a demonstration demanding better electricity supply turned violent. While Khurshid Alam had died on the spot, Sonu Kumar Sahu succumbed to injuries at a hospital a few hours later. Another person, Neyaz Alam, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Siliguri West Bengal for his bullet injury.