At least one person was killed and two others were injured in Bihar after police allegedly opened fire at a mob who were protesting in Kathihar against the electricity department, owing to irregular supply of electricity and higher power tariffs.
Police opened fire and baton-charged the protesters when some of them indulged in stone-pelting, Deputy SP of Barsoi sub-division Prem Nath Ram said. "Khurshid Alam, a resident of Baasal village, has died. Two others, hailing from adjoining villages, were rushed to a hospital," he said.
Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad condemned the incident, saying, "Bihar government has failed in every aspect. People were protesting over power cuts, but the police opened fire that led to the death of one person."
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Bihar BJP Chief Samrat Chaudhary criticised the Nitish Kumar government over the incident. "In Bihar, the police of Nitish government, which is claiming to provide 24-hour electricity to the people, has opened fire on the people protesting for the demand of electricity, which is extremely unfortunate. There must be a judicial inquiry into this firing," he said.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha, who was in the district for a BJP programme, also rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Locals claimed that at least five people were hit by bullets at the protest site.
