Gaya, Oct 11: At least 16 people, including a dozen cops, were injured today when CPI(M-L) Liberation and All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) activists clashed with policemen who opened fire near a police station in Bihar's Gaya district.
Paraiyya police station SHO Hari Ojha had earlier said a protester identified as Durgi Manjhi was killed in the police firing but Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vinay Kumar later said the victim was critically injured and admitted to a hospital.
The protesters gathered near Paraiyya police station demanding the arrest of the culprits in the gangrape of a girl and pelted stones on the police station and damaged the vehicles of the SSP and the DSP (Hq) prompting the cops to lathicharge the protesters, Kumar said.
As the situation threatened to get out of control amid heavy stone-pelting by protesters, the policemen opened fire in which four persons Durgi Manjhi, Tesar Manjhi, Dinesh Manjhi and Sunil alias Ball Paswan sustained injuries, the SSP said.
The police arrested 25 protesters, the SSP said adding additional policemen with anti-riot vehicles were deployed there as precautionary measures.
The SSP said the violence by the protesters appeared to be pre-planned and the hands of the Naxalites could not be ruled out.
