The Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has run into trouble with the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) which has expressed its dissatisfaction with the explanation given by it for the police opening fire at members of the minority community early this month in Araria district. The firing left four dead and nine injured.
Writing on behalf of the Commission, its chairman Wajahat Habibullah has said, “The Commission is entirely dissatisfied with the report received from the Araria district SP, Garima Malik, which fails to explain why it should have become necessary for the police to open fire so indiscriminately as to target women and babies...”.
The police targeted residents of Bhajan village, who were protesting against the construction of a factory manufacturing maize starch and liquid glucose as an approach road that they used was getting blocked. The village is located in the Forbesgang area of Bihar’s Araria district.
While a judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incident by the state government, the NCM too plans to send a two-member team led by Mr Habibullah to Bihar.