MASS PROTEST OVER MURDER OF A COMMUNIST ACTIVIST IN CUSTODY IN BIHAR
Thousands of people held out a Resistance March on Oct. 12 at district headquarters of Sitamarhi to demand immediate arrest of killers of Comrade Ashok Sah, who was murdered in custody by the Sitamarhi police after illegally arresting him at mid-night of 3-4 October. This march was led by AIALA National President Rameshwar Prasad and CPI(ML) Central Committee member Mina Tiwary along with many local leaders and cadres of Sitamarhi and Darbhanga districts.
A statewide protest day was also called by the Party on October 10 and demonstrations and dharnas were organised in almost all districts of Bihar on these demands. An inquiry through Commissioner, Tirhut range and by IG, Muzaffarpur, has been ordered by the state government, owing to the immense mass pressure and widespread condemnation of this heinous killing by the police-mafia nexus. it has been made clear to the authorities that every such effort will be futile and an eye-wash unless the thana incharge, the BDO and other accused policemen were not arrested and the DM and SP of Sitamarhi were not removed and action was not taken against them before the commencement of the inquiry. Therefore, CPI(ML) has demanded for a judicial inquiry of this incident.
The PUCL, Bihar, has also come up with its investigation report which holds the police as well as criminal-politician nexus responsible for this murder. The report also charges the higher police officials as the fake case under which comrade Ashok Sah was arrested was under investigation by the IG, Muzaffarpur, and the police was supposed not to take any action till the inquiry was over. There are many other questions to be answered by the authorities like Comrade was arrested at 12 AM in the mid-night but the concocted case diary shows his arrest was made at 3.30 AM, then, the dead body was returned to the family members after the post-mortem although, in case of custodial deaths, it is mandatory for the police to inform the family members of the deceased immediately.
The CPI(ML) has called for a protest in front of the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on October 24 to press for a judicial inquiry, the arrests of the killers and action against the DM and SP of Sitamarhi.
(Based on a report in ML Update (organ of CPI-ML, October 9-15, 2007)
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