Munger Violence: Two FIRs Lodged in Connection to Unauthorised Durga Idol Immersion in Bihar

Two separate FIRs were lodged in Bihar on Sunday in connection with the violence that took place in Munger during immersion of a Durga idol which left one person dead and several injured, a police officer said. The FIR by the police has been lodged with Kotwali police station on the basis of a video showing policemen baton-charging devotees on Monday night, which has gone viral on social media, the officer said. The incident, allegedly triggered by the local police objecting to a procession being taken out for immersion of a Durga idol late Monday night in flagrant violation of social distancing norms, had set off a pitched battle between security personnel and devotees. After submitting the memorandum to the governor, Congress national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala had said, “It was the BJP-JD government which ordered the lathi charge and firing on the innocent devotees of Goddess Durga in which one person was killed while eight others were injured during the immersion of an idol on Monday night.” The Congress leader had also claimed that a CISF email, which has come to the public domain, has admitted that the force and the police had resorted to firing in Munger.