A day after clashes between protesters and police in Bihar’s Siwan, police acknowledged on Sunday that “aerial firing was carried out”, alleging that protesters had “directly attacked” police during Saturday’s violence. However, one of those who suffered a bullet injury claimed that he had come to Siwan from his village to get a certificate and was going to the District Magistrate’s office for this purpose when he was hit in the leg by a bullet.Three people sustained bullet injuries and several police personnel, including Superintendent of Police (SP) Puran Kumar Jha, were injured in Bihar’s Siwan district on Saturday during a statewide bandh over the NEET paper leak and the recent police action against student protesters in Delhi. More than 400 people were taken into custody, police said.Speaking to The Indian Express on Sunday, SP Jha said it was still unclear whether all three bullet injuries were caused by police firing. “It is not yet clear whether the bullets in all three cases were fired by the police or elsewhere,” he said.He said it had been confirmed that one of the injured, identified as Bullet Kumar Gond, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg during police firing. However, he added that police deployment was absent at the two other locations where bullet injuries were reported.Gond, a resident of Dumrahar Buzurg village under Garauli police station limits, said he had travelled to Siwan to obtain caste, income and residence certificates when he was caught in the violence.“I had come from my village after a friend suggested we get our certificates made in Siwan. After getting off at the station, we saw clashes. We were heading towards the DM office when I was hit by a bullet in my leg. It passed right through,” he said.The SP identified the other two who suffered bullet injuries as Akash and Arif. While one of them was injured in the shoulder, the other was injured between the shoulder and neck, he said. “All three are safe and are recovering well,” he added.Story continues below this adThe officer said it would be investigated how these two sustained bullet injuries.“Aerial firing was carried out. From police’s side, four rounds were fired from long-range weapons and three rounds from pistols. In all, around eight to 10 rounds were fired. We are also investigating where the remaining firing came from,” Jha said. He alleged that protesters had “directly attacked police and damaged government and public property”.‘Mild force’On Saturday, Jha had said that police used tear gas and “mild force” after multiple groups converged at Gandhi Maidan despite only one group having permission to protest. “Only one group had permission to protest. The other groups later reached Gandhi Maidan, where clashes broke out among themselves. Police had to fire six to seven rounds of tear gas and use mild force. FIRs will be registered, and strict action will be taken against those responsible,” he had said.According to authorities, protesters gathered at several locations across Siwan, including Gandhi Maidan, JP Chowk, Sadar Hospital Mor, Kagazi Mohalla, Gopalganj Mor and the Siwan Kachahri railway crossing. The situation deteriorated after protesters allegedly resorted to stone-pelting, prompting police to use baton charges, tear gas shells and aerial firing to disperse the crowd.Story continues below this adA local source said protesters moved from Gopalganj Mor towards the Siwan Kachahri railway crossing after the baton charge and damaged police barricades. Simultaneously, large groups assembled at JP Chowk and Sadar Hospital Mor, where stone-pelting intensified. SP Jha was among those injured in the clashes. Despite the police action, protesters continued demonstrations in different parts of the town in smaller groups.Police said that protesters damaged 19 government vehicles and a private one. They said 58 police personnel were injured, and that 423 people were taken into custody over the violence.On Saturday, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav alleged on X that police had opened fire on students and claimed AK-47 rifles had been used. The claim has not been independently verified.Police maintained that force was used only after protesters allegedly attacked personnel and damaged public property. Besides Siwan, incidents of violence were also reported from Patna, Chhapra and several other districts during the bandh, while demonstrations in many parts of the state remained peaceful.Internet suspendedStory continues below this adAmid the violence, the Bihar government on Friday ordered the temporary suspension of internet and mass messaging services across Siwan district for 24 hours, from 5.30 pm on July 25 to 5.30 pm on July 26. In an order issued by the Home Department (Special Branch), the government said the decision was taken based on reports from the Siwan District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, who expressed apprehension that “anti-social elements” could use social networking platforms to circulate objectionable content, incite violence and damage life and property.Invoking provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, the order directed internet service providers to suspend access to social media and instant messaging platforms, including Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, YouTube uploads and Reddit, besides broadband communication services. The restrictions, however, exempted government internet and intranet-based networks, banking services, railways and other essential government communication systems.