Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Monday met victims of police firing in Bihar's Araria district in which four people were killed and nine injured nearly three months ago and handed over compensation of Rs.1 lakh to the families of each of the dead.

The compensation move is apparently aimed at embarrassing his political rivals and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the state government has not announced any compensation to victims of the police firing so far.

The former chief minister visited Bhajanpura village near Forbesganj in Araria, about 350 km from here, where the police had fired on villagers protesting an upcoming factory on June 3.

Lalu Prasad, who is on a 'justice march', also handed over Rs.10,000 to those injured in the police firing on behalf of his party.

Four people, including a pregnant woman and a six-month-old baby, were killed while nine others were injured.

"It is unfortunate that till date the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar failed to provide a compensation to the victims despite repeated demands by them and others. This has exposed Nitish Kumar's double face," Lalu Prasad said.

"It is nothing but politics played by Nitish Kumar to keep his ally BJP happy as all the victims belong to poor Muslim families," he said.

Hundreds of RJD leaders and workers across the state joined Lalu Prasad in Forbesganj in a show of strength.

Nitish Kumar has already ordered a judicial probe into the incident after a hue and cry by the opposition and civil society bodies.

A judicial commission headed by retired high court judge Madhavendra Sharan is probing the circumstances that led to the firing.

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairman Wajahat Habibullah, after visiting the site, had described the deaths as a "national loss" and said the police firing was "totally unjustified".






 

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