The Forbesganj police firing was wholly unjustified and could have been avoided, said National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairperson Wajahat Habibullah in Patna on June 22. While stating that a judicial probe would determine the cause of firing, Mr. Habibullah personally felt the issue could have been resolved without force. The Government had ordered a judicial probe into the police firing on June 6. Mr. Habibullah, who visited Bhajanpur village on June 21, said he met the villagers, district authorities, the victims and employees of the Auro Sundaram International Glucose and Starch Factory. He said the road which the residents had been using for the past five decades was the only link to the market, the mosque and the hospital and stressed that an acceptable alternative should have been provided for the villagers.
The NCM will submit its findings and recommendations within a week to the Union government on the June 3 police firing at Bhajanpur in Forbesganj. This was announced by NCM chairman Wajahat Habibullah on his return from the village at Patna on June 22. “I met the survivors, and I am shocked. The firing was utterly unjustified and a gross violation of human rights,” he told presspersons. Habibullah also visited those injured in the firing at PMCH in Patna. Before leaving for Delhi, he met governor Devanand Konwar, chief secretary Anup Mukherjee, home secretary Amir Subhani and DGP Neelmani and apprised them of his findings.