Police open fire to disperse irate mob

MOTIHARI: Police fired over a dozen rounds to disperse an irate mob at Chhatauni Chowk here on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, over 2,000 people put up a blockade on the national highway at Chhatauni Chowk in protest against the alleged killing of a fish vendor, Tun Tun Sah, by the local police late on Monday night.
The agitators alleged that the police had disposed of Sah’s body, who succumbed to lathi blows of the beat constables.
Local residents told TNN that policemen on night patrol brutally assaulted Sah who was offering prayers at the Mahabir temple at Chhatauni Chowk. “Tun Tun’s skull was fractured and he was bleeding profusely,� a resident claiming to be an eyewitness said.
Police, on the other hand, claimed that an inebriated Sah was banging his head before Lord Mahabir’s idol when the policemen on patrol found him bleeding. “He was sent to a hospital,� the police claimed.
However, when family members found no trace of Sah at the hospital and the news of his mysterious disappearance reached Chhatauni, residents grew restless. Soon a large crowd congregated. “The crowd tried twice to torch the Chhatauni police station,� a policeman alleged.
The mob blocked the national highway which brought several police teams on the spot. This only provoked the mob which resorted to brickbats. At least three policemen, including Santosh Kumar, officer-in-charge of the Chhatauni police station, were roughed up.
ADM Ganesh Prasad told TNN, “We cannot confirm the death of Tun Tun Sah. His body has not been recovered.�