Bihar violence: One civilian dead, 25 injured as protesters clash with cops; Nitish Kumar orders probe

Patna: At least one person died and 25, including 20 policemen, were injured when police opened fire on an angry mob protesting the murder of a local businessman in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Friday.[caption id=“attachment_4160085” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Protestors clash with police in Bihar’s Samastipur on Friday. Alok Kumar/CNN-News18[/caption] Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe by Tirhut range Deputy Inspector General as additional forces from adjoining Muzaffarpur have been rushed amid tensions still running high in the area. Talking to CNN-News18, Samastipur superintendent of police Deepak Ranjan claimed no one was killed in the police firing and the deceased became a victim of mob violence. A local drug dealer Janardan Thakur was shot dead on Thursday evening when he was returning back home from his shop after performing Diwali Puja. As the news of the murder spread, a large number of locals gathered near Tajpur and stopped traffic on National Highway 28 shouting slogans against the lacklustre approach of the local police. When policemen tried to clear the jam, protestors resisted and both sides engaged in pitched battle. Protestors targeted a local police station and torched around 20 vehicles including police vans compelling policemen to open fire in which a local resident Jitendra died on the spot and five others were injured. About 20 policemen were also injured in stone pelting. Additional Director General, law and order, Sanjeev Kumar Singhal told newsmen in Patna that the situation was being monitored from headquarters and section 144 has been imposed in the disturbed area.