Pyrrhic Victory As Police Kill Recruits
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday July 20, 1999
In a tragic end to India's victorious war in Kashmir, at least 21 young men died when police opened fire to restore order at three army recruitment centres.
Excited by the prospect of a career in the army, youths mobbed recruitment centres at Darbhanga, Chapra and Bharatpur to volunteer their services - but instead gave their lives.
At Darbhanga, in eastern Bihar state, thousands of youths stoned police after they were prevented from entering an air force base on Saturday, police said.
Police opened fire on the mob, killing one person and driving many others into the nearby Kamala Marne River, swollen by monsoon rains. The bodies of 15 people had been recovered from the river, The Hindu English-language newspaper reported.
Most of the dead were aged between 18 and 21. They were turned away because the recruitment drive was for Darbhanga only, but had attracted aspirants from outside the district.
At Chapra, also in Bihar, police opened fire killing two people at the Rajendra Stadium, which was being used as a recruitment centre. Sixteen others, including three policemen, were injured in the stampede there and several motor vehicles were torched.
At Bharatpur, in western Rajasthan state, three people died in a similar incident on Friday, media reports said.
The prestige of India's army has peaked after a successful two-month campaign to evict hundreds of armed intruders who entered Kashmir from Pakistan-controlled territory. Indian losses were 410 dead and 594 wounded.
Police said the Darbhanga incident was triggered when one of the youths snatched a pistol from a policeman and shot him in the chest. Thirty people, including three soldiers and seven police, were being treated for injuries in hospital in the state capital, Patna.
The State Government has announced an inquiry.
© 1999 Sydney Morning Herald