Day after police files FIR over assembly ruckus, Tejashwi Yadav says 'not scared of batons'

"Nitish Kumar will have to take back the black law or amend it," the RJD leader said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday slammed the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar over the Special Armed Police Bill, 2021. Asserting that the protests against the bill will continue, Yadav said "they will not be scared of batons" referring to the chaos in state assembly two days earlier.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav staged a protest march with grand alliance legislators on liquor prohibition issue, during the Budget Session of Bihar Assembly, in Patna. (PTI Photo)

"Bihar Police has become Janta Dal-United's and Nitish Kumar's Police. Officers and the chief minister should realise that we aren't Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) that will be scared of batons," news agency ANI quoted Yadav as saying. "Nitish Kumar will have to take back the black law or amend it," he added.

On March 23, the state assembly passed a Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 while the opposition staged a walkout. The bill sparked major chaos in the assembly as police in heavy riot gears were seen evicting the lawmakers. Marshals were also called to the premises to prevent the agitated legislators from getting physical with those in the treasury benches.

As the opposition is targeting the state government over calling police to the assembly, state chief minister Nitish Kumar has defended it saying, "It's in Speaker's hands that he can take any help to control the situation. Everyone knows how the Speaker's chamber was gheraoed and what was done in front of his Chair in the House."

The Bihar Special Armed Police Bill seeks to give more teeth to the state police and if enacted successfully it will change the military police to special armed forces that can be deployed to secure industrial units in the lines of the Central Industrial Security Force. The opposition has criticised the bill saying that it gives police to arrest anyone without a warrant. However, the state government has termed it as "need of the hour."