Nitish Kumar's rally marred by violence, police firing

Police opened fire and lobbed tear smoke shells in Bihar's Khagaria district Thursday after protestors pelted stones at the convoy of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and attacked the collectorate, demanding special status for their region, officials said.

The chief minister was in Khagaria as part of his 'Adhikar Yatra' when protestors welcomed him with violent protest. They also set on fire police vehicles and a part of the Khagaria Collectrate building.

Police cane charged the protestors to control them and fired in the air to disperse the unruly mob of hundreds of people, mostly youths demanding special status to the district and improvement of electricity supply, an official said.

Some contractual para-teachers also joined the protest against Nitish Kumar in Khagaria, police said.

"The situation is tense in Khagaria town but under control after additional security forces were deployed to check anti-social elements, who were involved in violence," Khagaria District Magistrate Dharmendra Singh said.

Earlier, contractual para-teachers protested against Nitish Kumar in Begusarai. They showed slippers to him. Some activists of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) showed black flags to the chief minister to express their anger against acute power shortage.

Teachers also protested against Nitish Kumar in Madhubani, East Champaran, Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts.