A tense situation unfolded in poll-bound Bihar’s Gopalganj on Saturday evening after a road accident spiralled into chaos, which led to a mob setting a police vehicle on fire.
According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Avdhesh Dixit, the incident occurred between 6:30 and 7:00 pm on Sunday when three youths were travelling on a motorcycle. At the same time, a police vehicle was also passing through the area when a speeding Scorpio approached from the opposite direction. In an attempt to avoid the oncoming vehicle, the motorcycle lost control and crashed.
“They got injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Shortly after the incident, rumours spread at the scene that the bike rider had died. This enraged the crowd present at the scene, who then set the police vehicle on fire,” said SP Dixit.
Police quickly moved in to control the situation, using tear gas to disperse the crowd. SP Dixit added that the situation is now under control and several people have been detained for questioning.
“Those responsible for this mischief will be identified, and action will be taken against them. It is not yet clear which vehicle was involved in the accident. An investigation will determine the cause of the accident. To disperse the crowd, we also used tear gas. The situation at the scene is normal. Some people have been detained,” he added.
The incident comes at a sensitive time, when Bihar is in the middle of high-stakes assembly elections. With tensions already running high, such episodes of unrest are expected to draw sharp attention from both the administration and the public.
Meanwhile, another controversy has surfaced in Bihar, as authorities have registered cases against four individuals for allegedly taking photographs of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during polling and sharing them on social media, officials said.
These cases were filed in Ara, Gopalganj, and Saran, where polling took place in the first phase of the assembly elections on Thursday, they said.
While two persons were booked in Gopalganj, cases were registered against one each in Ara and Saran, the officials said on Friday.
