Protestors against alleged custodial murder clash with police in Bihar; constable dies

The police on Sunday clashed with a crowd of people protesting the alleged custodial murder of Govind Manjhi at the busy Jehanabad-Arwal highway in Bihar. Kanti Devi, a woman constable, died after she was run over by a car while trying to quell the protests. She died from the injuries as she was being rushed to the hospital, the police informed.

"The people were furious over the death of Govind Manjhi, who was arrested some time back for trading in liquor. He had been remanded to judicial custody and lodged at a jail in the adjoining Aurangabad district. Gopal Manjhi died in jail on Friday. As the news reached Jehanabad, residents of his village squatted on the highway, blaming the death on physical torture. When a police party tried to assuage them, they became violent", said Ashok Kumar Pandey, Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Jehanabad. The sale and consumption of alcohol are banned in Bihar following the liquor ban provision brought about by the Nitish Kumar government six years ago.

"The agitators indulged in heavy stone-throwing and fired a few shots from unlicensed firearms. Many cops have been injured. We have arrested five people in this connection. A heavy deployment of police is in place to keep the situation under control," Pandey alleged. He further alleged that the highway remained jammed for hours due to the trouble.