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Clashes, FIRs as row over ‘abuse’ at PM Modi intensifies
According to police, a scuffle took place outside Sadaquat Ashram in Patna after BJP workers marched to the state Congress HQ and raised slogans.
The political row over alleged abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Rahul Gandhi’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar intensified on Friday as workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress clashed in Patna even as police said that two people, including the man who allegedly hurled the expletives, have been arrested.
Meanwhile, a BJP functionary also filed a complaint against Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Muzaffarpur, on the basis of the statement of the district convener of the party’s law cell, Anil Kumar Singh.
Police said that a scuffle took place outside Sadaquat Ashram, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) headquarters in Patna after BJP workers, led by state ministers Nitin Nabin and Sanjay Saraogi, marched to the state Congress HQ and raised slogans against the incident.
The protest comes a day after a row erupted on Thursday over a 33-second video of the episode that was widely circulated on social media. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video that shows a crowded stage with someone hurling abuses targeted at PM Modi, while others jostled to snatch the mic from him.
Police officers aware of the details said the BJP’s demonstration on Friday escalated when stones were allegedly thrown at the protesters. While Congress workers claimed BJP activists broke the office gate, entered the premises, assaulted party members, damaged vehicles and hurled bricks, BJP functionaries countered that the violence was initiated by supporters of the grand old party. “Injuries have been sustained by people from both sides. The situation has been brought under control,” Patna Central SP Diksha said. “We have received complaints from both sides.”
Following the attack, the Congress accused the BJP of “hooliganism” in an attempt to intimidate party workers. “Attacking a party office is the most perverse form of political violence and can never be forgiven,” Congress MP KC Venugopal said.
On the same day, Gandhi, in a post on X, said, “Truth and non-violence prevail, untruth and violence cannot stand before them. Beat and break, as much as you want to beat and break - we will continue to protect truth and the constitution.”
Union home minister Amit Shah reiterated his demand for Gandhi to apologise over the alleged abuses hurled at his rally. “[Congress] leaders have indulged in many hateful acts in the past, but the party crossed all limits with the abuse of the PM and his late mother from the platform of its yatra in Bihar, where Rahul Gandhi was welcomed,” Shah said while inaugurating Brahmaputra Wing at Raj Bhavan in Guwahati.
Meanwhile, Darbhanga Police said that two people, including the man who allegedly hurled the expletives, has been arrested. Four cases have been lodged in connection with the incident.
Police said that Md Rizvi alias Raja (20), who had allegedly delivered the expletives, was arrested on Thursday night. Congress leader Md Naushad has also been arrested, they added.
“BJP Darbhanga (west) district president Aditya Narayan Choudhary had lodged a case against Md Naushad and his associates... During investigation, Rizvi was arrested for using abusive language on the basis of the viral video,” a communique issued by the police said.
