Police shoot protester, man set on fire in day of Hong Kong fury
Hong Kong: A police officer shot a masked protester in an incident shown live on Facebook and a man was set on fire Monday during one of the most violent days of clashes in Hong Kong since pro-democracy unrest erupted more than five months ago.
Protesters, who had already begun a city-wide day of action aimed at paralysing the international financial hub, reacted to the morning shooting by rampaging through train stations, barricading streets and vandalising shops throughout the day.
A masked assailant also doused a man with a flammable liquid and set him ablaze during an argument, with the horrifying scene captured on mobile phones and also posted online.
Police said a protester carried out that attack and accused black-clad "rioters" of an array of other violent acts, including throwing a petrol bomb inside a train carriage.
"Continuing this rampage is a lose-lose situation for Hong Kong," police spokesman John Tse said at a press conference in which he showed the video of the man being set alight, as well as a fire inside a train.
At the end of the business day, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam held a press conference to denounce the violence and vow it would not lead to any government concessions.
"I am making this statement clear and loud here, that will not happen," Lam said.
The footage of the shooting -- broadcast live on Facebook by a bystander -- showed a police officer drawing a pistol as he tried to detain a masked person at a junction that had been blocked by protesters.
Another unarmed masked protester then approached the officer and was shot, quickly falling to the ground. Authorities said he was in critical condition in hospital. Police chiefs defended the officer drawing his weapon and firing as a legitimate use of force given his fears for his safety.
But protesters, who for months have accused police of using excessive force and demanded an independent inquiry into their actions, were incensed.
"I don't understand why police have to use that kind of brutality to hurt innocent people... it's just out of control," a 22-year-old IT worker, who gave her surname as Chan, told AFP as she joined angry crowds to protest in the area of the shooting.
Monday's shooting was the third time protesters had been hit by live rounds fired by police. None of the shootings have resulted in deaths.
Lam said the man set on fire was in a critical condition. She described that attack as "totally inhumane". Protesters ignored her pleas for calm with further rallies in multiple locations across the city on Monday night.
Online forums used by the largely anonymous and leaderless movement also carried messages vowing another day of chaos on Tuesday.
Hong Kong has endured 24 straight weeks of increasingly violent rallies aimed at securing greater democratic freedoms from China, which has ruled the city under a "one country, two systems" framework since its handover from the British in 1997.
The British government called the latest incidents "deeply disturbing." "We are seriously concerned by the ongoing violence, and the escalation between protesters and police," said a Foreign Office spokesman, while the office of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged "calm and restraint on all sides."
The protesters are desperate to stop what they see as Beijing's tightening control over Hong Kong, and reneging on its handover commitment to allow greater liberties for the city than those on the mainland.
But Beijing has refused to give in, and instead warned it is prepared to impose even greater security measures.
Tensions in Hong Kong were already high following the death on Friday of a 22-year-old student who succumbed to injuries sustained from a fall in the vicinity of a police clearance operation a week earlier.
After a weekend of clashes and huge vigils, Monday's chaos began with small groups of masked protesters disrupting subway stations and roads during the rush hour commute.
But as footage of the shooting went viral, the protests snowballed.
During the lunchtime break in Central, a downtown district that hosts blue-chip international conglomerates and luxury retailers, police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters, many dressed in office attire and chanting "murderers".
Tear gas and rubber bullets were fired in multiple districts throughout the day, including at university campuses.
One video circulated by protesters on messaging channels showed a police officer trying repeatedly to drive his motorbike into protesters who had gathered on a road.
Police said the officer has since been suspended, the first time the force has made an announcement removing someone from active duty in relation to the protests since they began.
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's son Nishant to enter politics, says JD(U) leader
Patna (PTI): The entry of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, into politics has been finalised, and the decision will soon be announced formally by the JD(U), state minister Sharwan Kumar said on Tuesday.
The senior JD(U) leader said Nishant will be given a "bigger responsibility" in the party.
"Now, it's clear, and it has been finalised that Nishant Kumar will join active politics. The party will make a formal announcement in a day or two. Party workers have been demanding Nishant's entry into politics for several years. Now party workers and supporters are upbeat with the decision ahead of Holi," he told PTI.
"He will be given a bigger responsibility in the party. What responsibility he is going to get will be decided in a day or two," said the minister.
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Asked if Nishant can be sent to the Rajya Sabha, Kumar said, "Anything can happen."
Kumar, who has been a minister in the state cabinet for more than a decade, is considered very close to the CM.
Social Welfare Minister Madan Sahni said JD(U) workers have been demanding Nishant Kumar's entry into active politics for several years.
"Now, it has been finalised. We are quite happy with the decision," Sahni, also a JD(U) leader, told PTI.
Rural Works Minister Ashok Choudhary said, "It is a big Holi gift for the party's rank and file and also the people of the state. Nishant's entry into active politics will certainly benefit the party. He is a photocopy of our leader, Nitish Kumar."
JD(U) ally BJP also welcomed Nishant's entry into politics.
"I welcome the new generation to enter politics. I thank the CM for leading the NDA in the recent assembly elections. It is a matter of great happiness that Nishant Kumar will now enter politics with the support of the CM and his family, and we wholeheartedly welcome him," Industries Minister Dilip Jaiswal told PTI Video.
"He is certainly an educated young leader, holding a BTech degree, and is a well-grounded individual. Every event happens in its own time, and perhaps now the right time has arrived. His entry should be warmly welcomed," said the former state BJP president.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar will go to the polls on March 16. The last date for filing nominations is March 5.
The elections will be held as the tenures of JD(U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, RJD's Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, and RLM's Upendra Kushwaha are ending.
As per the latest tally in the state legislature, all five seats would now go to the ruling NDA. However, the RJD has decided to field its candidates to ensure the election is not decided unopposed.
