Bihar BJP urges guv for probe into police action
A 46-year-old BJP leader, Vijay Kumar Singh, had died during the stir, with the Opposition alleging that he was killed in the police lathicharge on the protesters
A delegation of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar on Friday met and submitted a memorandum to governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, seeking an inquiry by a sitting judge of Patna high court or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an “unprovoked police lathicharge” on party workers during a protest against deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav over an alleged land-for-jobs scam.
A 46-year-old BJP leader, Vijay Kumar Singh, had died during the stir on Thursday, with the Opposition alleging that he was killed in the police lathicharge on the protesters. The district magistrate, however, said “no external injury” was found on the deceased’s body.
In its memorandum, the BJP said the “lathicharge was done at the behest of chief minister Nitish Kumar, who also holds the home portfolio, and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, which is bad for a healthy democracy”. HT has seen a copy of the memorandum.
“The march was planned a long time back demanding resignation of a chargesheeted deputy CM, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, backtracking from promise of 10 lakh jobs and government employee status to school teachers, but the government murdered democracy and insulted the Constitution by ordering lathicharge,” the memorandum said.
It condemned the “unprovoked lathicharge on the procession comprising MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other senior leaders and party workers when it reached Dak Bungalow” and said “many of them are admitted to hospitals due to serious injuries”.
“Bihar CM is also the state’s home minister. His alliance partner, deputy CM is chargesheeted and for his removal the march was organised. At their behest (ishara), the police and the administrator acted brutally, which is disappointing and painful for healthy democracy. Kindly order an inquiry by a sitting Patna high court judge or CBI into the incident. Instead of fixing responsibility for lathicharge and murder of Vijay Kumar Singh, district administration is trying to hush up the matter,” the memorandum said.
The delegation also held talks with the governor and described Thursday’s events as “unprecedented”.
BJP state president Samrat Choudhary, leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, MPs Vivek Thakur and Prince Raj, MLAs Nand Kishore Yadav, Prem Kumar, Nitin Navin and Sanjay Saraogi were among those who met the governor.
“The brutality shown on a peaceful pre-announced political demonstration, which caused the death of one leader and left several injured, was seen by all. It was pre-planned as even senior leaders and MPs/MLAs were targeted. Our central leadership is sending a team to Patna,” Choudhary said.
Through a communique, Raj Bhavan confirmed the submission of the memorandum by the BJP delegation with regard to the police lathicharge on Thursday.
On Thursday, the BJP held the demonstration and was planning to march to the state assembly to protest against the state teacher’s recruitment policy and demand resignation of Tejashwi, who was recently named in a CBI charge sheet in the land-for-jobs scam.
According to the police, they resorted to lathicharge after some protesters allegedly abused and manhandled them which led the police to use water cannons and tear gas shells. In response, the protestors pelted stones, and they also damaged the windscreens of several vehicles.
Police said more than three dozen people, including cops and women protestors, were injured in brick batting and lathi charge. The BJP said over two dozen of its workers sustained injuries in the police action.
While the BJP alleged that Vijay Kumar Singh, general secretary of Jehanabad unit, died due to the injuries, district magistrate Dr Chandradeskhar Singh said the leader was “found unconscious by the roadside” in Chajju Bagh area, and “no external injury” was found on his body during initial examination.
“There was no external injury mark on the patient when he was brought to the hospital. We intubated him and put him on a ventilator in the intensive care unit but his ECG was flat (indicative of the fact that the patient has died),” said Dr IS Thakur, medical superintendent of the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), where Vijay Singh was undergoing treatment.
Senior superintendent of police Rajiv Mishra, too, said: “The superintendent of the PMCH Dr I S Thakur confirmed his death after 30 minutes of the treatment. We are awaiting his postmortem report to ascertain the cause of death.”
Hitting back at the BJP, the ruling Janata Dal (United) spokesman Rajib Ranjan said: “The BJP is trying to exploit the demise of their own party leader. There is no hint that the BJP leader died due to lathicharge, as he was far away from there. Those with the deceased have also corroborated it, but the BJP is not ready to accept it and wants to exploit the matter.”
