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BJP vs Opposition after Bihar cop uses AK-47 in student protest: 'Entire system is downright murderous'
The incident in Bihar's Siwan district occurred days after a violent police crackdown on protests in New Delhi on July 20.
A cop in Bihar was suspended after a video of him firing an Ak-47 during student protests went viral on social media. Following the row, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Opposition have been locked in a war of words.
The incident in Bihar's Siwan district also occurred days after a violent police crackdown on protests in New Delhi on July 20.
While the BJP has accused the Congress and other opposition leaders of "constructing a narrative," the opposition has accused the system of being "murderous towards students."
What happened in Bihar?
As student protests spread beyond the barricades of Jantar Mantar, police personnel in Bihar resorted to lathicharge and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
Following the virality of the incident, the constable, posted with the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), was suspended, and a probe has been launched into the use of the AK-47 rifle.
Siwan Police stated that the rifle was fired in "self-defence," and no injuries were reported from the incident.
Also Read | Cop who fired AK-47 during student protest in Bihar's Siwan suspended; Opposition attacks BJP
BJP vs Opposition
The opposition, which is already seeking answers into the July 20 crackdown on protestors, condemned the use of an AK-47 rifle against student protestors.
"The entire system is downright murderous against students. Reports are coming in that AK-47s have been fired at protesting students in Bihar, and hundreds have been arrested and booked under FIRs," wrote Rahul Gandhi on X. The Lok Sabha leader of opposition also questioned the rising number of FIRs and detentions against students.
"Pellet guns were used against students in Delhi, and AK-47s in Bihar. Whether it is Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, or Delhi -- the pattern is the same everywhere," he added.
"And what was the need for AK-47s and such weapons at the protest site? The students are not terrorists," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters.
In the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge also sought answers from Amit Shah regarding the police brutality against students in New Delhi.
Also Read | 'Will be forced to protest again': CJP warns govt, asks it to drop FIRs against protesters
"It has never happened in the history of India that the boys were beaten and they were dragged... Amit Shah ji is responsible!" Kharge said during the monsoon session.
RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, also alleged that police fired AK-47s at protesters during the protest in Siwan.
"Taking action against a constable is a different matter. But on whose orders was the action taken? Was action taken against the Superintendent of Police? Was it the order of the Home Minister of Bihar, the Chief Minister? They should come and clarify, give a statement on whose orders this happened. And we demand a judicial inquiry into this," Yadav told news agency ANI.
"In any state of the country, even in Delhi, AK-47 bullets were not fired. So on whose orders were AK-47 bullets fired in the state of Bihar? And if you look at the footage of the bullets, no aerial firing was done. Firing was done by aiming, and three students were hit by bullets," he said, adding that three students were injured in the incident.
Congress MP Manoj Tewari also called the incident “barbaric, inhuman and an atrocity.”
“Excessive and coercive force should never be used without clear orders from the highest level," said Tewari.
Furthermore, Pawan Khera, Manoj Jha and other leaders from the opposition have also condemned the use of the rifle, seeking answers into the order given to Bihar police.
What has the BJP said?
Meanwhile, the BJP has denied the claim and accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to "manufacture a protest" and create an atmosphere of anarchy.
Party spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Gandhi of spreading fake news.
"They are trying to spread canards. AK-47 -- I am emphasising this word used by Rahul Gandhi. Does the police in this country ever use AK-47s to fire on protesters? Has it ever happened? How can Rahul Gandhi say that AK-47s have been used? This is totally unacceptable, and we firmly believe that Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation for spreading such canards and falsity,” Patra said.
The BJP MP also accused the Congress of trying to create panic and disorder across the country.
"Naturally, solving (issues) is not the purpose of Rahul Gandhi. Trying to create furore, trying to create manufactured anger, trying to manufacture a protest, and above all trying to create anarchy, is the sole aim of Rahul Gandhi and the LOP," Patra added.
Furthermore, Shambhavi Choudhary, an MP of NDA ally Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas), termed the use of the Ak-47 in Bihar as “wrong.”
"Where AK-47 has been used, it is wrong, and we are against it; lathicharge against students at various places is also wrong. However, Sonam Wangchuk and CJP spokespersons have accepted that anti-social elements were present during protests on various occasions, and there, public order has been maintained," she told the media.
(With inputs form ANI,PTI)
