Patna:
A massive political row has erupted after Bihar police’s lathicharge against students demanding a re-examination of a recruitment test conducted by the state public service commission. Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has been charged in a police case along with 700-odd unidentified protesters. He has been accused of instigating the protest and creating a law and order problem.
Main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has hit out at the poll strategist and accused him of trying to foil the protest. Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, did not name Mr Kishor but said some people tried to mislead the protesters as the ruling BJP’s “B team”.
What’s The Protest About?
Since December 13, students have been protesting against alleged irregularities in the BPSC exam and demanding a re-test. The examinees have alleged that the question paper was leaked. Some have said there was delay in distributing question paper and some students got them an hour later. Others said answer sheets were torn. The protest was being held at Gardanibagh in Patna.
The Protest Call
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor joined the protests last week and called a Chhatra Sansad (students’ parliament) at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan Sunday. Irregularities had become a norm in BPSC exams and the meeting was to find a solution. Soon after the meeting, the district administration said Gandhi Maidan was a restricted area and strict action would be taken against anyone who broke the law.
What Happened Sunday
According to Mr Kishor, the meeting decided that the protest would be not by coaching centres or politicians, but by students alone. “Gandhi Maidan is a public place, there is no question of permission. They were not protesting. We decided on this place because there was a large number of students. The students sat there and discussed issues peacefully. They then chose the leaders of the movement. There was no problem,” he told the media.
Mr Kishor said it was then decided that the students would submit their demands to the government. “Two things were decided: we would not do anything the government can call illegal and we will stop wherever police stops us.”
The March, The Crackdown
The protesters marched towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence and were stopped by police. Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena invited them for talks, but they insisted on meeting the Chief Minister. For about two hours, the protesters demonstrated where they were stopped. Police warned them to disperse, but they stayed put. At one point, some of the protesters broke a barricade. Police responded by a lathicharge and used water cannons.
Prashant Kishor Draws Fire
In the aftermath of the police action, several videos of protesters criticising Mr Kishor are circulating on Internet. They say Mr Kishor “fled” the spot before the police action after egging them on. When Mr Kishor went to meet the protesters at the Gardanibagh protest site in the evening, an altercation broke out. In a video that has gone viral, Mr Kishor is heard calling a protester a “brand new leader”. The protester responded that Mr Kishor was the leader. At one point, Mr Kishor is heard saying, “You asked me for blankets, and you are misbehaving?” The student replied, “You are trying to intimidate us with blankets?” A heated exchange followed, with the students also raising ‘go back’ slogans. NDTV cannot verify 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 handle said, “He thinks the people are his paid staff and his trying to intimidate them. This is Bihar’s Bazaru Babu. BJP’s money won’t split votes and issue here.”
Mr Kishor has told the media that he had left the spot before the police action began. “We will not spare the ones 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 charge on the protesters as “heart-rending”. “The peaceful protest was strong. But some people tried to mislead this agitation. I could have called 5 lakh people at Gandhi Maidan, but that wouldn’t be the solution. The peaceful protest had put pressure on the state government and BPSC. So they tried a new formula that BJP’s B Team was moved forward and the movement was shifted to Gandhi Maidan.”
The RJD leader said that when the police crackdown began, “those who said they would be at the forefront fled”. “This is a conspiracy to finish the agitation. I have been repeating this. If I had to politicise this, I would have called you to Gandhi Maidan. Students were misled, now they will face FIR and they cannot appear for the exam.”
Opposition Slams NDA government
Top Opposition leaders have hit out at the JDU-BJP government in Bihar after visuals of the crackdown on students circulated on the Internet. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said instead of stopping paper leaks, students’ voices are being muffled. “Using water cannons and lathicharge against students in this cold is inhuman. BJP’s double engine has become a symbol of double torture on youngsters.” AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said BJP’s governments want to suppress every voice of protest. “This lathicharge on peaceful protesters is an attack on democracy,” he said, adding that AAP stands with students.
