Patna,June 13 :FILMMAKER- turned- activist Mahesh Bhatt has drawn the ire of BJP leaders in Bihar by his remark that an incident of police firing on unarmed Muslim villagers in a Bihar village was the “ reflection of a communal mentality”. Four persons, including a pregnant woman and a 10- month- old infant, were killed in the June 3 incident, when the police opened fire on a mob of villagers from Bhajanpur, who were protesting against the setting up of a glucose and starch factory near Forbesganj in the minority- dominated Araria district.
According to the police, the villagers, who wanted a wall of the factory blocking the road to be removed, had resorted to arson and violence, forcing them to open fire.
Bhatt, who had gone to Forbesganj as a member of a fact- finding team of a Delhi- based NGO, said in Patna on Friday that the situation in Bihar was “ similar to what happened in Gujarat”. The filmmaker equated the alleged police brutality in Araria with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir “ where people fear the police”. Bhatt also expressed shock over the way home guard Sunil Kumar Yadav kicked an unconscious youth injured in the firing.
Activist Shabnam Hashmi has sought a probe into the role of deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi in the firing and demanded the dismissal of the Araria SP Garima Mallik, the SDO and other police officers present during the firing.
Modi had allegedly visited Forbesganj on May 29 and pressurised the administration to block the village road to facilitate setting up of the factory by Auro Sundaram International Company.
Bhatt’s remarks have caused outrage among BJP leaders in the state. Party spokesperson and MLA Prem Ranjan Patel said Bhatt and Hashmi should have cross- checked facts before speaking.
Saying they should refrain from giving a communal tint to the incident, he added: “ Bhatt and Hashmi should not try to use Bihar for their political rivalry and vested interests.” Other state BJP leaders such as Lal Babu Prasad, Sudhir Kumar Sharma, Rakesh Kumar Singh, Suraj Nandan Mehta and Ashok Bhatt also felt Bhatt’s statements were uncalled for.
Both Bhatt and Hashmi hobnobbed with Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad in the past and had an anti- Bihar mindset, a leader said. They also took exception to the allegations levelled against Modi.
The Bihar government has set up a judicial probe into the firing. It has suspended and arrested home guard Yadav, against whom a murder case has been registered. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has announced an ex gratia compensation of ` 3 lakh for the kin of the infant Naushad who was killed in the firing.