In Sasaram, Bihar Sharif, and Munger districts of Bihar, reports of fresh violence have emerged following violence during the Ram Navami processions. According to reports, on Saturday, April 1, a bomb blast left six people injured in Sasaram in Rohtas district, who were taken to a Banaras Hindu University Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, a person was reportedly injured during gunfire in Bihar Sharif.
The gunfire between two groups took place after the rioters yet again targeted a religious place in Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district on Saturday. In the Paharpura area in the Laheri police station jurisdiction, miscreants vandalized and set on fire a place of worship. After this, two groups opened fire on watch other, which resulted in the death of a youth and the injury of three others.
Notably, the violence that started at 8:00 pm on Saturday night resulted in the death of Gulshan Kumar, a resident of the Paharpura locality and son of Ravindra Prasad. He was then taken to the hospital where he later passed away. The injured persons are being treated at the Sadar Hospital.
Bihar | A body (of a person who died in fresh violence last night) has been sent for post-mortem. More than 50 people have been arrested in raids conducted last night. Till now 8 FIRs registered. Additional force to be deployed: Ashok Mishra SP, Biharsharif, Nalanda district pic.twitter.com/BiVHJAvqa5
— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2023
Senior officers along with large police forces arrived at the location after getting reports of the gunfire and brought the situation under control. More than 80 people have been arrested after identifying the miscreants. 9 additional companies are being sent to the city for reinforcements.
Clashes also took place in 2-3 other places in Bihar Sharif on Saturday night. On the other hand, DM Shubhankar and SP Ashok Mishra of Nalanda have both declared the atmosphere in the area as normal. However, a curfew was imposed in the are by the administration, while restrictions under section 144 have been imposed on the entire city.
Internet services have also been suspended in the area. People have been appealed to stay indoors and not pay heed to rumours, and police have said that action will be taken against those who spread rumours.
In Munger, two groups came face to face on Saturday night regarding idol immersion. Following this, violent clashes and stone-pelting ensued. The police arrived at the scene as soon as they learned about the situation and had to do a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.
Bomb blast in Sasaram
In Sasaram in Rohtas, six people were injured in a bomb blast in the Sherganj locality in Sasaram late evening on 1st April. The Bihar police, however, have claimed that it was not an incident of communal violence. Bihar Police said that a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was sent to the spot to investigate the matter after receiving information about the incident of a bomb blast in Sasaram of Rohtas. “The blast was reported at a shanty and a scooty has been recovered from the area. Prima facie it does not appear to be a communal incident,” the police said.
The police further said that the six injured persons were handling illegal explosives when the incident happened. The police have not released the names of injured persons so far. Two persons have been arrested in the matter.
Speaking about the blast, the District Magistrate of Rohtas district, Dharmendra Kumar said, “In Sasaram, there was a bomb explosion. The injured have been referred to Varanasi’s BHU Hospital. We are now conducting an investigation from all angles. The cause of the explosion remains unknown as of yet.”
On Sunday (April 2, 2023) in the wee hours, Bihar Police tweeted, “Yesterday at 9 pm, during the verification of the information about the injuries of 6 persons, it has been found that they themselves were hurt during unlawful explosive handling. The forensic team is conducting its investigation in the private home’s premises, where the blast occurred. 2 arrests have been made. Force magistrates are deployed. Don’t pay attention to rumours.”
कल शाम 9 बजे 6 व्यक्तियों के जख्मी होने की सूचना के सत्यापन के दौरान पाया गया है कि वे अवैध विस्फोटक handling के दौरान स्वयं घायल हुए थे.घटना स्थल एक निजी मकान का अहाता है जहां फॉरेंसिक टीम जांच कर रही है.2 गिरफ्तारी की गयी है.बल दंडाधिकारी प्रतिनियुक्त हैं.अफ़वाह पर ध्यान न दें
— Rohtas Police (@RohtasPolice) April 1, 2023
Police identified it as illegal handling of explosives. It is assumed that the explosion happened when the bomb was being made. It is notable that Sasaram is in the grip of violence since Ram Navami. The attack on the Ram Navami procession set off a wave of violence that has not subsided.
An earlier tweet from the Bihar Police stated, “Information about the occurrence of a bomb blast was received in Sasaram, Rohtas, and after investigation, it was found that the site is a hut. Also, a scooter was recovered there. The FSL team is on its way to the scene to investigate.
The Bihar Police stated in another tweet, “Prima facie it does not appear to be a communal incident. Ignore any rumours. Cooperate with the police and the government in maintaining peace.
प्रथम दृष्टया यह साम्प्रदायिक घटना प्रतीत नहीं हो रहा है। किसी भी अफवाहों पर ध्यान न दें। शांति व्यवस्था बनाए रखने में पुलिस एवं प्रशासन का सहयोग करें।@PTI_News@AHindinews@RohtasPolice
— Bihar Police (@bihar_police) April 1, 2023
According to a Bhaskar report, the Rohtas district office in Sasaram’s Saffulaganj area saw violence again on Saturday evening. The cops then conducted a thorough search operation while raiding the houses. Following this, eight more people have been arrested.
The administration has ordered to keep the schools and colleges closed till 4 April in Sasaram because of the volatile situation.
