Ram Chandra Purbey at the news meet in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna/Motihari, June 25: The West Champaran administration today transferred all personnel posted at Naurangia police station and suspended its station house officer (SHO) in a fallout of yesterday’s police firing in Bagaha police district.

The toll rose to seven today with Sheo Mohan Mahto (10), one of the injured, succumbing to injuries at a Gorakhpur hospital in Uttar Pradesh.

The deceased were identified as Brahmadeo Khatayeet, Dharmadeo Khatayeet, Anil Kumar, Anup Kumar, Bhukhdeo Kumar and Tulsi Rai.

Thirteen other injured are being treated at a hospital in Bettiah, the district headquarters of West Champaran. Twelve of the 13 under treatment have been identified as Madan Sharma, Ganesh Kazi, Raj Kumar, Madan Mahto, Asliq Mian, Ritu Kumar, Hiralal Kazi, Chandeshwar Mahto, Gaya Mahto, Kamlesh Rai, Tulsi Ram and Harinarain.

Six people were killed and over a dozen were injured when the police opened fire to disperse a mob at Mahuawa Kataharia village yesterday.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar formed a team, comprising Anand Kishor, inspector-general (IG) (prisons and correctional services) and S.K. Bhardwaj, additional director-general (ADG) (law and order), to visit the village today to visit the deceased’s kin and inquire about the incident.

IG, Tirhut zone, Pankaj Darad said the team would submit a joint report to the chief minister.

Darad said Vinay Kumar Singh, the Naurangia SHO, has been suspended and departmental proceedings have been initiated against him. “It has also been decided to shift all the policemen from the police station concerned and post them in other districts,” he added.

IGP Darad, camping in Bagaha since last evening, said the state administration gave cheques of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased and of Rs 50,000 to each injured.

BJP and CPI-ML(Liberation) have called a Bagaha bandh tomorrow (Wednesday) to protest the firing. The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee has also expressed concern over the incident. Former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi would lead a BJP delegation to Bagaha tomorrow to inquire about the incident.

RJD state president Ram Chandra Purbey told the media that party activists would stage a daylong dharna at Bettiah tomorrow and burn the chief minister’s effigy in Patna on June 29.

SUCI would take out a protest march in Patna tomorrow. Bihar Rajya Gond Mahasabha has demanded a probe into the incident by CBI.