Patna, Aug. 4: Relief in the form of food packets rained on flood-hit Darbhanga and Supaul, while the policeman involved in yesterday’s firing incident in Madhubani has landed in trouble.

Havildar Aditya Narayan Singh has been suspended for firing on a group of villagers, killing one and injuring three, home secretary Afzal Amanullah said during a news conference. Compensation would be paid to the family of the victim, Darshan Thakur.

A two-member team headed by Amanullah conducted a probe into the incident and found the havildar’s action “unwarranted”. They had recommended his suspension and chief minister Nitish Kumar put his seal on it.

Meanwhile, after being criticised for tardy flood-relief management, the chief minister today pressed into service two helicopters to help the people of Darbhanga and Supaul — worst-hit by the flood.

Two Indian Air Force helicopters air-dropped food packets on Jale, Biraul, Singhwara and Gaurbairam, which have been cut off from the rest of the state for the past five days.

The helicopters dropped around 2,000 food packets in three rounds. Each packet weighs between 5kg and 7kg and has beaten rice, sattu or roasted gram flour, sugar, salt, gur, candles and matchboxes.

Kumar has sent ministers Nand Kishore Yadav, Vaidyanath Prasad, Bijendra Yadav, Nitish Mishra, Sudha Srivastava, Ramnath Thakur, Prem Kumar and Gautam Singh to flood-affected areas. Six special district magistrates have been appointed to take care of the flood-affected populace.

Bihar disaster management secretary Manoj Srivastava said the government would deploy four helicopters of Sunday and Monday to airdrop food packets on Darbhanga and Supaul. From Tuesday, two helicopters will remain in service till floodwater recedes.

Relief operations are simultaneously on in Muzaffarpur. Flood control department said the government has so far distributed 419 quintals of beaten rice, 3,187 quintals of wheat and rice and 16 quintals of gur in Muzaffarpur alone. About 550 boats were used to take the relief material to the 11 lakh affected people in Muzaffarpur.

Overall, over one crore people in 17 districts have been hit. The worst hit districts are Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, East Champaran and Darbhanga, which alone has over 29 lakh people who have been affected.

The highest number of deaths, 15, has been reported from Samastipur, followed by 13 in Muzaffarpur, 10 in Darbhanga, nine in East Champaran, seven in Bhagalpur, six in Madhubani and five each in Begusarai and Sitamarhi. The flood has also killed three in Saharsa, three in West Champaran and one in Madhepura.

Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Adhvara, Kosi, Mahananda and Gandak have been flowing above the danger level at several places.

The chief minister, who undertook an aerial survey of Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Khagaria yesterday, today assessed the flood situation in Nalanda and Saharsa.

On the issue of yesterday’s firing, he has granted the three demands made by the family of the victim. The demands were the suspension of the policeman, filing a criminal case against him and compensation. Home secretary Amanullah said: “A compensation of Rs one lakh will reach his family tomorrow.”

Amanullah said the government would also explore the possibility of giving a job to the wife of the deceased.