Muzaffarpur, Oct. 10: The tense situation prevailing in Kanti and adjoining areas of Kanti Thermal Power Station (KTPS) over the past four days turned volatile following the death of Shiv Pandi, the father of a jailed protester, today.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajesh Kumar said the situation in Kanti was under control and senior police officers were camping there to thwart any possible trouble.
Pandit (60), a resident of Sherna village under Kanti police station, went into a state of shock following the arrest of his only son, Ashok (26). Ashok had been forwarded to Khudiram Bose Central Jail last Saturday on charge of pelting stones on policemen and torching government vehicles at Kanti Chowk the previous day. “Pandit suffered a cardiac arrest this morning after being unwell since the arrest of his son on Friday night,” said Ram Balak, cousin of Pandit.
The news of Pandit’s death spread like wildfire in the countryside since morning. People from Kusi, Therma, Sherna, Sherukahi, Lashkaripur and Kanti villages, paying scant regard to the promulgation of Section 144 of CrPC (ban on assembly of four or more persons at a certain spot) in the area, thronged the house of Pandit to pay their last respects. The police forces deployed in Kanti and its adjoining villages have been put on maximum alert.
Police patrol has been intensified following Pandit’s death, which the angry villagers attributed to Ashok’s arrest. Villagers decried the police high-handedness and accused them of implicating and arresting innocent persons like Ashok for allegedly burning government vehicles and attacking policemen.
Sources said the news of Pandit’s death reached Khudi Ram Bose Central Jail this afternoon. Altogether, 31 persons who have been sent to jail joined the eight members of Kanti Vikas Sangharsh Morcha, a forum to protest against the dismal power situation in the villages in the vicinity of KTPS. All 39 inmates put up a brave front inside the jail and refused to call off their fast-unto-death.
Superintendent of Khudi Ram Bose Central Jail Vishwanath Prasad said the members of the morcha have been kept in the yoga ward of the jail. A team of doctors from Government Sadar Hospital headed by the chief medical officer Dr Gyan Bhushan visited the jail this afternoon and examined the health of the 39 inmates on fast, added the superintendent. Two jailed persons, who are unwell, were administered saline.
District magistrate Santosh Kumar Mall accompanied by the SSP visited Kanti village last evening and held talks with villagers. The DM said the villagers settled in the vicinity of KTPC would have to procure electricity connections legally and pay bills on time. He also clarified that National Thermal Power Corporation will not provide free power at all. The electrification of villages earmarked by Bihar State Electricity Board would be completed by 2014. The SSP assured villagers that the innocent would be freed after examination.
FIGHT FOR ENERGY
Oct. 7: Hundreds of residents of villages around KTPS block NH-28. They vandalise a petrol pump, torch a government officer’s car and a fire tender. District police open fire to disperse protesters at Kanti Chowk. Eight members of Kanti Vikas Sangharsh Morcha arrested.
Oct. 8: Protesters forwarded to Khudi Ram Bose Central Jail. They go on a fast-unto-death.
Oct. 9: District police forward a proposal to the DM for imposition of collective fine on villagers who damaged government property worth Rs 15 lakh during protest
Oct. 10: Shiv Pandit, father of an alleged protester, dies, sparking tension.
