Patna, May 26: A teenager was killed today when Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel fired on residents of a village near the Nepal border in Sitamarhi who had accused the jawans of trying to molest two girls from their hamlet.
Four persons were injured in the firing at Nandwara villager near the Bairgania border outpost in Sitamarhi, about 200km north of Patna.
The deceased was identified as Neeraj Paswan, 19, a resident of Nandwara under Bairgania police station. Pappu Kumar, 17, and Vikram Paswan, 15, were referred to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur with critical injuries. Two other injured are undergoing treatment at Bairgania Referral Hospital.
The government has ordered an inquiry into the firing by the SSB personnel belonging to the 20th battalion. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has asked director-general of police (DGP) Abhayanand to monitor the situation. “The DGP has been asked to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the incident. No person found guilty would be spared. Senior police and administrative officials have been directed to camp in the area,” Kumar said. The chief minister has also asked the DGP to submit a report on the incident within 24 hours.
SSB inspector-general Aditya Mishra said: “The jawans allegedly involved in the molestation bid have been identified. One of them has been handed over to the police in the area.”
Trouble began on Friday evening when some SSB jawans allegedly tried to molest two girls of Nandwara village. Following this, a group of residents rushed to the nearby camp of the paramilitary force and started shouting slogans. The security personnel used batons to disperse the mob, injuring about 12 people. Sources said the SSB jawans allegedly manhandled the station house officer of Bairgania police station, Amrendra Kumar Jha, when he tried to pacify them. An assistant sub-inspector of police, Anirudh Prasad, also faced the jawans’ wrath.
Around 7.30am today, a group of residents of Nandwara, Musachak, Dorbana and Nunia Dori regrouped near the Bairgania border outpost and started shouting slogans. The protesters set the guardroom of the border outpost on fire, following which the SSB personnel fired about 50 rounds. Till reports last came in, about 8,000-10,000 people were staging demonstration at the border outpost.
