Biharsharif on edge: Teenager killed in crossfire

On Sunday, Biharsharif in Nalanda as well as Sasaram in Rohtas district, around 175 km  away, which witnessed similar violence related to a Ram Navami procession, continued to remain tense although no fresh incident was reported.

In Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with senior officials to discuss the law and order situation in the two towns and directed them to take strict action against those involved in the violence.

A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said, “The CM directed the police and administration to remain alert, identify the rioters and take strict action on them.”

Nalanda: Charred remains of vehicles after a clash broke out between two groups during Ram Navami procession, in Nalanda district, Sunday, April 2, 2023. (PTI Photo)

(PTI adds: After the meeting, DGP R S Bhatti said at a press conference: “Prima facie it appears that the incidents that took place at Sasaram and Biharsharif were attempts to disrupt communal harmony in the state. Police officials are on the job to identify the accused who indulged in the mischief…action will be taken against those who tried to take the law into their hands.”)

Earlier in the day, Nalanda police identified the 16-year-old who died in the violence as Gulshan Kumar, son of a local daily wage worker. He was hit on the head by a bullet as the two groups exchanged fire in Paharoura area of Biharsharif. He was taken to Patna Medical and Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment on Sunday.

The Chief Minister announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin.

The two injured were identified as Mohammed Shakil (66), a retired professor from Khasganj area of the town, and Mohammed Taj (32), a Pahapura resident. Like Kumar, both were caught in the crossfire, the police said.

“We confirm the death of a teenaged boy,” Nalanda SP Ashok K Mishra told The Indian Express. About the condition of the injured, he said while one was undergoing treatment in Biharsharif, the other was moved to a Patna hospital.

“So far, we have lodged 15 FIRs and arrested 77 people. No fresh violence has taken place. We would intensify night vigil,” Mishra said.

Nalanda: Charred remains of vehicles after a clash broke out between two groups during Ram Navami procession, in Nalanda district, Sunday, April 2, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Nalanda District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar said: “The situation is under control. We are also appealing to the people against rumours.”

In Sasaram, where more than a dozen people were injured in clashes that broke out on Friday, a crude bomb blast was reported in Sherganj area, in which six people were injured. The police, however, said the blast was not related to the communal violence, in which 32 people have been arrested so far.

Internet services, meanwhile, remained suspended, and shops and business establishments remained closed in Biharsharif as prohibitory orders remained in place for the third consecutive day.

Nine companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the town, where 35 shops were gutted in the violence that followed the clashes of March 31 evening.

According to the Nalanda administration, permission was given to the Ram Navami procession to begin after after 2 pm – after the Friday prayers at the two mosques on the procession route. The procession started at Hospital Crossing around 5.30 pm and was to conclude at Mani Baba Ka Akhada, two km away.

Police personnel maintain law and order after clashes during a Ram Navami procession, in Nalanda district, Bihar. (PTI)

A police officer said: “As the huge procession was crossing through Gagan Diwan, an area with about 10,000 Muslim population, some people from the procession complained that they were being pelted with stones. This triggered the violence despite police presence,” the officer said.

Local residents, however, said adequate arrangements – such as tear gas and water cannons – to tackle any untoward incident were not made by the authorities despite Gagan Diwan being identified as a “flashpoint of communal violence” over the past few years.

“Inadequate police deployment and unexpected surge of the crowd (in the procession) made the situation out of control for the administration. About 35 shops were torched,” said Rajesh Kumar, a shopkeeper.

Major communal violence had last taken place in Biharsharif in 1981, in which more than 60 people lost their lives.