Patna: Authorities have appealed to the masses to maintain restraint after angry mob went berserk for second consecutive day on Saturday, torching several government buildings, disrupting movement of trains, shutting down shops and resorting to heavy brick-batting in northern Bihar’s Madhubani district to protest killing of two persons in police firing last evening.

The mob were simply demanding that the headless body of Prashant Jha, a class IX student from a public school, which had been kept in the local hospital for the past around a fortnight be handed over to his family members for cremation but the authorities kept on ignoring their demand. Instead, they ordered police firing on the protesting mob, leaving two students dead on the spot.

Agitated at the “uncalled for” police firing, the angry mob yesterday attacked the Basopati police station as well as Basopati block development office and later set them on fire as the cops and officials fled the buildings for safety. The raging flames engulfed several important files and vehicles parked in the areas.

The mob also attacked railway police station and ransacked ticket counters before pelting stones on the trains stranded at the stations. Reports said they also ransacked the government offices at Harlakhi and Khajaoli blocks with just no resistance from the officials. They also did not spare shop keepers who did not shut down shops and brunt tyres on the streets to express their anger.

Although the state government in a prompt action has transferred all the senior district civil and police officials from the districts, such as the district magistrate, superintendent of police and inspector general of police allegedly responsible for such volatile situation in the district and has also ordered a magisterial as well as a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry in the entire episode, the mob has gone registering their protests against the government.

“We appeal to the masses to maintain restraint and help restore peace in the areas,” said the new district magistrate Lokesh Kumar Singh who joined the trouble-torn district only Saturday morning. He said he was trying hard to bring the situation under control.

The prime reason behind the trouble is said to be the mysterious disappearance of Priti Kumari, daughter of district project officer (education) Jagathpathi Chaudhary, with the boy Prashant on September 7. Subsequently, Prashant’s family registered a missing case against Prashant while girl’s family lodged a kidnapping case against Prashant. The local police acted fast on the complaint of Chaudhary and immediately sent the boy’s family members to jail.

On October 2, the police recovered a decomposed beheaded body of a youth from the railway tracks. Subsequently, the victim’s family identified their missing son from his clothes and body, and requested the police to hand over the body for cremation but the police kept on delaying it.

“The police have got my son killed since he was in love with a senior government official,” alleged the victim’s grandmother, demanding that the accused official be hanged. “No inquiry will do. We know the fate of such inquiries… we want nothing else, just hang the official,” the grieving grandmother of victim told media.

Left with no option, the victim’s mother and grandmother, joined by hundreds of students staged a sit-in before the office of the district magistrate but instead of looking into their demand, the police resorted to severe caning on the protesting mob, not sparing even the victim’s aged grandmother.

The police’s action instigated the anger of the protesters as the angry mob in a fit of fury set on fire the office of the district magistrate, sub-divisional office, hospital and several police stations, besides many vehicles. The mob even targeted a prisoner van and set it on fire after asking to get down all the 23 prisoners who later fled the scene, taking full advantage of volatile situation.

As the entire situation looked going of control, the police fired tear gas shells and finally bullets to scatter away the unruly mob in which two students were killed.