Muzaffarpur (Bihar): Two persons were killed and six others injured when police opened fire on a mob which attacked Maniyari police station with stones and brickbats protesting against alleged thrashing of a villager in Muzaffarpur district, police said.

Angry locals in their determined bid to disrupt movement of trains ransacked Silot station, tampered with the communication channels and sat on dharna on tracks on Muzaffarpur-Samastipur section of East Central railway.

They also blocked Muzaffarpur-Samastipur national highway.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Muzaffarpur) S K Bhardwaj said that a mob stormed Maniyari police station and indulged in heavy stone-throwing and brickbatting on October 17 evening to protest against alleged thrashing of one Jaimangal Sah by an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) at Sitarampur village while conducting raids to arrest criminals.

Police opened fire in self-defence in which two persons including Mukhiya of Madhuban panchayat Sanjeev Kumar Sharma were killed. Six others who were injured in the police firing and stone-throwing were admitted to hospitals in Muzaffarpur.

Infuriated over the police firing, angry protestors ransacked Silot railway station, tampered with the communication channels and forced the station master to flee, railway sources said.

Several trains like New Delhi-bound Vaishali express from Barauni, Barauni Kathgodam express, Barauni-Gwalior express were stranded at different stations between Muzaffarpur and Samastipur.

Heavy reinforcements rushed to Silot sration where policemen fought pitched battle with the agitators while trying to scare away them.

Tension was running high in Maniyari police area after the firing. Senior police officials were camping at the spot.

PTI