Justice Rajendra Prasad to probe Bagaha police firing

Patna,(BiharTimes): Nine days after the police firing in Bagaha sub-division of West Champaran district in which at least eight tribals were killed and many others injured, the state government on Tuesday set up a judicial commission headed by a retired judge of Patna High Court, Rajendra Prasad.

The commission would probe the background of the incident at Katharwa village of Bagaha, the sequence of events on the day of the firing, that is, June 24 and direct and indirect situations.

According to the Principal Secretary (Cabinet Coordination and Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra the decision to order the judicial probe was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

However, the name of the retired judge to head the judicial commission was finalised on the basis of recommendation by the Patna high court registrar.

The judicial commission would submit its report within six months.

The cabinet had also approved Rs five lakh compensation to the next of kin of those killed in the police firing and sanctioned the same compensation to Ganesh Kumar, who suffered severe and paralytic injuries on his back in the same incident.

Apart from that, compensation of Rs 50,000 would be given to each of the 21 seriously injured villagers and Rs 25,000 to those who sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the state cabinet also sanctioned Rs five lakh compensation to the kin of Munna Singh, who died on Monday night at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) due to torture in police custody in his native Jamui district.

The cabinet also sanctioned the creation of additional 25 units of the Special Task Force (STF) at a cost of Rs 49.45 crore to deal with Maoist activities and organised crime in the state.