Tags:
Journalism of Courage
AMOD BHARUCH DISTRICT, JAN 1: A semblance of calm returned to Amod today, after two days of violence in which two people were killed. Curfew, imposed yesterday, was lifted for four hours this afternoon, even as District Magistrate B B Swain ordered a magisterial inquiry into yesterday8217;s incidents in which the police fired after reportedly being fired at.
However, the police version of yesterday8217;s incidents that they fired only after being fired at have been disputed by residents of the area.Special Inspector-General of Police D D Tuteja, who has been camping in the town from Wednesday night, said the police patrol was fired on near Adarsh Phalia; but the victim, Qutub Ishwar Rana, was hit by a bullet in his house at Chowkhandi, approximately 250 metres away. A visit to the area suggested there was little scope of a bullet travelling from Adarsh Phalia to Chowkhandi: they are separated by several rows of houses and the terrain is uneven. When given this scenario, Tuteja said police had also been chasingaway people while firing, and under such circumstances a bullet could hit a person inside his house.
He said some stone pieces and chilli powder had been seized from some houses; these, he claimed,had been stored for use in attacks on the police.Incidentally, the combing operation also fuelled a great deal of anger among the minority community, who allege that the policemen ransacked their houses, broke furniture, misbehaved with women and beat up children. They say that dozens of houses, including that of Congress leader Iqbal Kakuji 8212; who was a Congress candidate in the recent Lok Sabha by-poll in Bharuch 8212; were ransacked by the police yesterday on the pretext of searching for hidden weapons.
Dhanbai of Adarsh Phalia said: 8220;The police attacked my house with stones, shouting that they had come for my daughters. When I finally opened the door, they beat up my two sons and abused me and my daughters8221;.
