Page 272 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

250 Records of Bahrain
which, 09 previously otatod, falls short of what they required, Thoy nro -

(a) Tho oircumstaneos woro not such as to Justify tho oponlng
of firo by tho police, whothor thoy rocoivod any ordoro
or not,
(b) Tho oxtont of tho firing was grossly oxcos3ivo, According

to a chock of ammunition mado afterwards, 05 policomon
flrod 478 rounds, Tho ovidonco, howovor was that only
riflo aronunition was firod and that thore had boon no
expenditure of Stirling or revolver ammunition,
(c) Tho Board aro not satisfied by tho evidence of cprtain

polico witnesses that a first 3inglo 3hot was firod by
a member of tho public, nor by that of certain members of
tho public that it was firod from tho ranks of tho police.

The Board wore unablo to solve the mystory concerning a
small-calibre pistol bullot which struck a man noar
Ahmodi*a Factory, Thoy woro informed that 3uch a weapon
is not in use by tho polico, Tho location of Ahmodi's
Faotory is out of sight of the Square and not in tho lino

of firo from the Boladiya, 30 that at all ovonts it
sooms probable that this allot was not the first to be
fired,
(d) Most of the firing by tho polico was from the hip,

unaimed'and directed into the air. If any substantial
part of tho firing had boon doliborately aimed, it is
obvious that thoro would have boon many moro casualties,
Invnodiatoly tho polico firod, tho crowd pressing noar
thorn began to disporso but, nevertheless, firing continued
v-
for some minutes dospito tho fact that tho sonior polico
r
on the spot wore shouting and whistling to thoir mon to
cease firo, Somo of tho police continued to fire long

aftor they had loft tho Squaro in thoir vehicles and
ppocoodod towards tho Fort along Prior Road and Homed Hoad,
At that time from forco.of circumstances, no officer was in
-3"