Patna:
An enormous political row has erupted after Bihar police’s lathicharge towards college students demanding a re-examination of a recruitment take a look at carried out by the state public service fee. Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has been charged in a police case together with 700-odd unidentified protesters. He has been accused of instigating the protest and making a regulation and order downside.
Main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has hit out on the ballot strategist and accused him of attempting to foil the protest. Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, didn’t identify Mr Kishor however mentioned some individuals tried to mislead the protesters because the ruling BJP’s “B group”.
What’s The Protest About?
Since December 13, college students have been protesting towards alleged irregularities within the BPSC examination and demanding a re-test. The examinees have alleged that the query paper was leaked. Some have mentioned there was delay in distributing query paper and a few college students acquired them an hour later. Others mentioned reply sheets had been torn. The protest was being held at Gardanibagh in Patna.
The Protest Call
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor joined the protests final week and referred to as a Chhatra Sansad (college students’ parliament) at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan Sunday. Irregularities had turn out to be a norm in BPSC exams and the assembly was to discover a resolution. Soon after the assembly, the district administration mentioned Gandhi Maidan was a restricted space and strict motion could be taken towards anybody who broke the regulation.
What Happened Sunday
According to Mr Kishor, the assembly determined that the protest could be not by teaching centres or politicians, however by college students alone. “Gandhi Maidan is a public place, there is no such thing as a query of permission. They weren’t protesting. We selected this place as a result of there was a lot of college students. The college students sat there and mentioned points peacefully. They then selected the leaders of the motion. There was no downside,” he instructed the media.
Mr Kishor mentioned it was then determined that the scholars would submit their calls for to the federal government. “Two issues had been determined: we might not do something the federal government can name unlawful and we’ll cease wherever police stops us.”
The March, The Crackdown
The protesters marched in the direction of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence and had been stopped by police. Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena invited them for talks, however they insisted on assembly the Chief Minister. For about two hours, the protesters demonstrated the place they had been stopped. Police warned them to disperse, however they stayed put. At one level, among the protesters broke a barricade. Police responded by a lathicharge and used water cannons.
Prashant Kishor Draws Fire
In the aftermath of the police motion, a number of movies of protesters criticising Mr Kishor are circulating on Internet. They say Mr Kishor “fled” the spot earlier than the police motion after egging them on. When Mr Kishor went to fulfill the protesters on the Gardanibagh protest website within the night, an altercation broke out. In a video that has gone viral, Mr Kishor is heard calling a protester a “model new chief”. The protester responded that Mr Kishor was the chief. At one level, Mr Kishor is heard saying, “You requested me for blankets, and you’re misbehaving?” The scholar replied, “You are attempting to intimidate us with blankets?” A heated trade adopted, with the scholars additionally elevating ‘return’ slogans. NDTV can not confirm the video’s authenticity.
दो कौड़ी के बाज़ारू लोग राजनीति को भी दुकानदारी समझ बैठे है। जैसे अपने पेड स्टाफ सह पेड कार्यकर्ताओं पर धौंस जमाते है वैसे ही जनता को समझ लिया है। इ बिहार है बाज़ारू बाबू- बीजेपी के पैसे से यहाँ वोट और मुद्दा नहीं बंटेगा pic.twitter.com/Wx0YGXNKPV
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) December 30, 2024
Sharing the video, RJD’s official deal with mentioned, “He thinks the individuals are his paid workers and his attempting to intimidate them. This is Bihar’s Bazaru Babu. BJP’s cash will not break up votes and challenge right here.”
Mr Kishor has instructed the media that he had left the spot earlier than the police motion started. “We won’t spare those who did this.”
वीडियो देखकर कलेजा काँप गया जिस तरह से छात्रों को ठंड में पीटा गया है। क्या कोई नेता का बेटा, अधिकारी का बेटा को ऐसे पुलिस मार सकती है ? आंदोलन को ख़त्म करने के लिए BJP अपने दलाल को प्लांट किया और लाठी खिलवा दिया बच्चों को और ख़ुद भाग गया।
बीते 11 दिनों से गर्दनीबाग़ में चल रहे… pic.twitter.com/wbYRagtG8b
— Alok Chikku (@AlokChikku) December 29, 2024
Tejashwi Yadav’s BJP ‘B-team’ Jab
Leader of the Opposition Yadav described the lathi cost on the protesters as “heart-rending”. “The peaceable protest was robust. But some individuals tried to mislead this agitation. I may have referred to as 5 lakh individuals at Gandhi Maidan, however that would not be the answer. The peaceable protest had put strain on the state authorities and BPSC. So they tried a brand new components that BJP’s B Team was moved ahead and the motion was shifted to Gandhi Maidan.”
The RJD chief mentioned that when the police crackdown started, “those that mentioned they might be on the forefront fled”. “This is a conspiracy to complete the agitation. I’ve been repeating this. If I needed to politicise this, I’d have referred to as you to Gandhi Maidan. Students had been misled, now they may face FIR and so they can not seem for the examination.”
Opposition Slams NDA authorities
Top Opposition leaders have hit out on the JDU-BJP authorities in Bihar after visuals of the crackdown on college students circulated on the Internet. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra mentioned as an alternative of stopping paper leaks, college students’ voices are being muffled. “Using water cannons and lathicharge towards college students on this chilly is inhuman. BJP’s double engine has turn out to be a logo of double torture on children.” AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal mentioned BJP’s governments need to suppress each voice of protest. “This lathicharge on peaceable protesters is an assault on democracy,” he mentioned, including that AAP stands with college students.