Bihar police lathicharge ABVP workers in Bihar: JD(U) and BJP trade blows in Assembly

Patna: Ruling JD(U) and opposition BJP on Friday traded charges over police lathicharge on ABVP workers agitating against deterioration in education system forcing adjournment of both Houses of state Legislature amid pandemonium. In the Legislative Assembly, BJP members created ruckus over lathicharge on ABVP workers as they trooped into the well of the House and raised anti-government slogans. [caption id=“attachment_2177053” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  AFP image.[/caption] Senior minister and JD(U) Legislature party leader Vijay Chaudhary defended lathicharge saying the agitators provoked security forces to act against them. Chaudhary asked the Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary to show to both Houses of Legislature in the presence of Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi video clippings of of the incident in which protesters even misbehaved with women police personnel. Similar scene was witnessed in Legislative Council where BJP members vociferously took up the matter forcing adjourned till 2.30 PM. Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav told reporters in his chamber after Assembly was adjourned till 2 PM that police action was “barbaric” and reminded of “Emergency under Congress.” Senior BJP leader and leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Sushil Kumar Modi said that despite prior notice about “Vidhan Sabha March” yesterday police arrangement was “inadequate.” “There was no arrangement of water canon, teargas shells and rubber bullets,” Sushil Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav alleged. Sushil Modi criticised as “brutal” the lathicharge by police on students agitating against chaos in education system in Bihar at present. “Police meted same treatment to agitating students as they give to criminals,” he alleged. Sushil Modi and Yadav announced that BJP would boycott proceedings in both Houses today for rest of the day. Sushil Modi made a scathing attack at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the incident and said “Kumar and we all have come from students politics hence giving such treatment to agitating ABVP workers does not behove us.” Sushil Modi and Yadav both alleged that more than 100 ABVP protesters were illegally detained at different police station and injured were not provided proper medical treatment. ABVP has given a call for “Bihar bandh” on March 30 against police lathicharge. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna Jitendra Rana told PTI police arrangement was “adequate” at R-block, where the agitating ABVP workers broke gate and ran towards Assembly and pelted stones at policemen prompting lathicharge and firing in air. “Water canon and tear gas shells were used to control the mob as per normal drill. But, it seems the agitators had pre-planned to create violence by pelting stones on security forces and breaking barricade,” Rana, who himself had received injuries in hands in yesterday’s event, said. The SSP said a total of 34 persons had been arrested in connection with Thursday’s violence and forwarded to jail. Opposition leader in Legislative Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav claimed that 10 students remained untraced after police strong arm action on agitators. He sought release of students detained at various police stations and action against policemen responsible for “barbaric” lathicharge. PTI