Patna witnessed arson and stone-pelting on Monday evening after a protest by relatives of two minor siblings found dead on Independence Day escalated into a major law-and-order disruption on Atal Path, one of the key roads in Bihar’s capital city.
According to police, the protest turned violent when agitators began throwing stones at vehicles and set a car and a motorcycle on fire. At least half a dozen police personnel were injured in the clashes and had to be taken to hospital. More police personnel were deployed, and they resorted to the use of force to control the situation.
There were also reports that a convoy passing through the area was chased away by the crowd. Eyewitnesses claimed that a vehicle in the convoy was pelted with stones, damaging the windshield. Security personnel eventually managed to escort it to safety, but it was followed for a considerable distance by the enraged crowd, sources said.
The unrest stems from the deaths of a seven-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother, whose bodies were discovered inside an abandoned car on August 15. The siblings had gone missing after leaving for tuition and were found in the back seat of a parked vehicle with Uttarakhand registration, just a short distance from their home. While the police suspect that suffocation was the cause of death, the children’s family has been alleging foul play, saying there were visible injuries on the bodies.
On Monday, the children’s family, supported by local residents, accused the police of failing to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation. The protest began with road blockades on Atal Path and slogans against the police, but soon spiralled into violence. Several vehicles were damaged in the resulting stone pelting, and traffic along Atal Path remained disrupted for several hours.
Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma said, “The protest was related to the recent incident involving the two children. However, the situation escalated when the demonstrators took the law into their own hands. Stones were thrown at deployed police forces, injuring six-seven personnel. We used limited force to disperse the crowd and restore order. Two vehicles were set on fire but were quickly extinguished by the fire department. Traffic has been restored. Six individuals have been detained for questioning.“
“The initial medical report did not confirm homicide, and further tests are pending. These findings were communicated to the family… Those responsible for the violence will be identified through video footage, FIR will be lodged and arrests will be made,” the SSP said.
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Police said the situation is now under control, and investigations into both the children’s deaths and the subsequent violence are ongoing.
