The National Commission for Minorities has raised questions on the claims of Bihar Police regarding the June 3 firing incident in Forbesganj in the state in which four persons of a minority community were killed. A two-member team of the Commission, led by Wajahat Habibullah, had visited the area on June 21 and 22 and found many loopholes in the state police’s claims about the incident.
While the police claimed that they opened fire in retaliation to the gunshots fired by the protesters, the Committee’s report said that there is no evidence of firing by the villagers or that they carried any arms or guns. “Although the order to fire was alleged by the SP to have been given on the basis that shots were heard, but their source not seen, it was swiftly assumed that the mob opened fire and the police had to be ordered to retaliate. No evidence, however, was produced or found of arms or guns that the crowd may have carried,” the report said.