The horrific violence that broke out during Durga Visarjan in Munger, Bihar has left people wondering as to what transpired on the fateful night that led to devotees being fired at, claiming the life of an 18-year old boy and leaving many injured. Some videos relating to the violence have surfaced providing a glimpse of the events that happened that night.
https://twitter.com/ajeetbharti/status/1321096767157329921?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn one video that appears to have been made from the top of a building shows people running helter-skelter on the street as security personnel can be seen chasing them. People clear out of the street running in all directions on seeing the security personnel. Thereafter, two gunshots are heard being fired.
https://twitter.com/ajeetbharti/status/1321105590068785154?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe other video shows a crowd of people on the road with Durga Maa murti. There are devotional songs playing in the background and the people in the crowd can be seen running towards the Durga Maa murti. Few moments later, a series of gunshots jolt the people who start running around. A man can be seen walking with a limp.
Eyewitness account of the incident
The eyewitnesses of Munger violence put the blame on the police for opening fire on innocent devotees without giving a prior warning. One of the eyewitnesses talking to media named two local SHOs in the incident.
He said that people agreed to speed up the procession but in the meantime, the police received a phone call, which the witnesses guessed to be of SP Munger Lipi Singh as the cops referred to the person on call as ‘Madam’. The eyewitness claimed that following the phone call, the police fired one warning short which dispersed the crowd and then opened fire on the people.
In the video, he says that a young boy standing next him received a bullet in his head which broke his skull open and he collapsed on the spot. The eyewitness also saw few other people receiving gunshot injuries some of whom, he claimed, were admitted to the nearby hospital. He told said he and his nephew also received two gunshots. He further alleged that the two local SHOs and the accompanying personnel did not even to take the injured to the hospital. Local people came to help and admitted the injured people in the hospital.
The eyewitnesses appealed to the state BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and PM Modi to immediately suspend the two SHOs and demanded that the matter be investigated by the CBI.
Claims of SP Munger
Following the violence inflicted on Hindu devotees in Munger, SP Munger Lipi Singh denied the police brutality and said that the devotees had resorted to stone pelting and that it was a gunshot fired from the crowd that claimed the life the 18-year old boy. However, videos of the incident doing rounds on social media tell a different story.