Patna: Tension prevailed in areas under the jurisdiction of Masaurhi police station in Patna rural following violent group clashes and an attack on a senior police officer's residence on Tuesday.
While two persons suffered bullet injuries in the firing during the group clashes, two police personnel were also injured in the attack by the mob.
One of the persons seriously injured in the firing has been admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where his condition is stated to be critical.
Senior police and administrative officials, including Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi, senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj, city superintendent of police Rajendra Kumar Bheel and Masaurhi sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sonu Kumar Rai rushed to the spot and pacified the protesters.
The gravity of the situation could be gauged from the fact that director-general of police (DGP) K.S. Dwivedi, who was attending an official function at Walmi on the outskirts of the town, had to stop his speech midway to take chief minister Nitish Kumar's call.
It took more than five minutes for the DGP to resume his speech as he had to brief Nitish.
Soon, senior police officers rushed to Taregna railway station, where a crowd had assembled and indulged in arson and road blockade to protest the police firing.
The trouble started around 9.30am, when a group of armed men shot at and critically injured a youth in Rahmatganj locality of Masaurhi sub-divisional town, around 30km south of Patna.
The firing led to clashes between two rival groups in which six people were injured.
A police team was attacked when it reached the spot almost an hour late.
Irked by the incident of firing, the local residents pelted the police with stones, injuring two police personnel posted at Masaurhi police station. The number of protesters swelled with the passage of time.
A group of protesters held a demonstration in front of the residence of the Masaurhi sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Rai and then pelted it with stones.
They also damaged the official vehicle of the city superintendent of police (SP) Bheel.
The police had to use mild force to scare away the protesters.
The situation was contained after reinforcements were rushed in from the district headquarters.
The personnel of the Rapid Action Force - a specialised force to deal with rioting mobs - were called to contained the situation.
A joint team of the RAF, district armed police force and administrative officials later staged a flag march in trouble-torn localities.
Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi said six troublemakers had been detained for interrogation. "Additional armed forces have been deployed and patrolling has been intensified in sensitive localities as a precautionary measure. Senior officers will keep tabs on the situation round-the-clock," he told The Telegraph over phone.
Sources said Internet services were suspended in the town as a precautionary measure.
