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Patna:
About two years
after the gruesome police firing in Forbesganj of Araria district,
local police have issued arrest warrant against 50 villagers
including the six who were killed in the firing, and those who
were injured, their family members and witnesses of the incident.
The arrest warrant has been
published in the local
editions of Hindi dailies Hindustan and Dainik Jagran (on 8 and 9
April 2013) by the local police.
“The Police have published arrest warrant in newspapers against 50
people including the six who are already dead", said Maulana Ale Rasool,
Imam of the village mosque whose seven-year-old son was also
seriously wounded in the firing.
Among the dead are an 8-month old
infant, Yasmin
Khatoon, Mukhtar Ansari and Mustafa Ansari.
Yasmin Khatoon was seven-month
pregnant when killed in the firing that had created nationwide
stir.
On June 3, the police opened fire at a group of people who were
protesting the blocking of a road because of an upcoming factory
in Bhajanpur village of Araria district, about 350 km from here.
The video footage released after the incident showed how a Home
Guard Jawan, Sunil Kr Yadav,
was jumping over unconscious Md Mustafa Ansari’s body, a victim
who later died.
"The villagers are
terrified by the arrest warrant. Many have fled, police are raiding village in the
night,” Ale Rasool said.
Soon after the firing on 3rd June 2011, the local police had
lodged three FIRs against the villagers who were protesting
against the blockade of their old approach road by a company whose
shareholders include leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The police had filed FIRs against 4000 villagers alleging that
they had attacked the police with firearms wounding 28 policemen.
However, these claims were later found not true by the rights
activists.
The arrest warrant has created havoc in the village of Bhajanpur
predominantly resided by poor Muslim weavers – known as Ansari
community. Many have fled the village as police have started
raiding the area in the night.
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