By IANS
Patna : The Bihar Administrative Service Association (BASA) has accused the government of suspending sub-divisional officer (SDO) S.K. Srivastava to shield the top district officials for the police firing at protesters at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district last week.
Five people were killed in two days in Kahalgaon town as the police opened fire on a crowd protesting acute power shortages now plaguing many parts of the state.
“Srivastava did not order the police firing at Kahalgaon orally or in writing,” BASA general secretary B.K. Sinha said, adding that the SDO and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of Kahalgaon were made scapegoats by the government to shield the district magistrate (DM) and the superintendent of police (SP).
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered the suspension of Kahalgaon SDO and DSP following a report by Principal Home Secretary Afzal Amnanullah, who visited Kahalgaon after the incident.
The suspended official, in a letter to BASA, has blamed the DM and SP of Bhagalpur for the firing.
He said both the DM and the SP have made him the sacrificial lamb and alleged a police force led by the officer-in-charge of the Kahalgaon police station forcibly procured a letter from him at gunpoint.
“Both the DM and SP of Bhagalpur were present at Kahalgaon police station at the time of the incident but did not bother to visit the spot. It was a serious offence and for this they must be punished,” Sinha said.
BASA asked its members not to order the police to open fire or order cane-charge under any circumstances.
“BASA members acting as executive magistrates will not issue firing orders to the police even if a serious law and order breakdown occurs,” Sinha said after the decision was taken at the association’s executive committee meeting here.
The government has announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 to each of the victims of police firing and transferred officials, including the officer-in-charge of the Kahalgaon police station.