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Probe ordered in shooting of youth
Under fire from Bihar's ministers and politicians for the death of a Patna youth in a police encounter in a bus here, the Maharashtra government has ordered a probe into the incident following political pressure from the federal government.
- By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent
- Published: 23:31 October 28, 2008
Mumbai: Under fire from Bihar's ministers and politicians for the death of a Patna youth in a police encounter in a bus here, the Maharashtra government has ordered a probe into the incident following political pressure from the federal government.
The state government has appointed its Chief Secretary, Johny Joseph, to head the probe into the firing incident on the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport bus no. 332 on the suburban Andheri-Kurla route last Monday, according to a release from Mantralaya, the state headquarters. The Crime Branch is also conducting an internal inquiry into the firing.
The shooting down of Rahul Raj, 23, in the Kurla hostage drama has only added fuel to the already tense atmosphere in Bihar where there has been agitations against attacks on North Indian migrants living in Mumbai and Maharashtra by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists.
Described as a "cold-blooded killing" by political leaders, Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reported to have said that "Mumbai Police fired from a cannon to shoot a chicken".
However, Maharashtra's Home Minister R.R. Patil has defended the police action, even as Saamna, the official newspaper of Shiv Sena, praised the police for taking prompt steps. Executive President Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena said yesterday, "He had a pistol in his hand, he could have killed somebody. Police were under pressure. What were they expected to do?"
Advising Lalu Prasad to "not meddle" in Maharashtra's affairs, Uddhav also said, "Bihar's leaders should ask themselves why people from their state have to migrate to Mumbai to make a living. The 'real' culprits of Bihar's people are their own leaders."
Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray, MNS president and the man behind all the trouble who first provoked violence against North Indian migrants, violated court orders as well as a police order to not speak to the media or address public rallies by giving an interview to Loksatta, a Marathi daily.
In the interview, he said it was "foolish" of the government to withdraw his Z-plus security. Claiming that his life was under threat, he said, "It has been proved after the bus shootout incident involving a boy from Patna". In the Monday bus incident, the Patna boy had said he wanted to kill Raj Thackeray.
Raj described the Congress leaders such as Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil as "spineless" leaders who depended on the "mercy of Delhi."
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