Police crack down on AISA march in Patna seeking resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan

The Bihar police on Wednesday resorted to baton-charge and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse activists of All India Students’ Association (AISA), who took out a protest march demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak.

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Hundreds of AISA activists, joined by local students and members of the Left party’s student wing, first gathered at Gandhi Maidan and tried to march towards Lok Bhavan. They shouted slogans against the State and Central governments and also protested against the alleged lathi-charge at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The march was led by AISA Bihar State president Dhananjay, secretary Dipankar and vice-president Saba Afrin.

Also read | Jantar Mantar protest updates on July 22

Barricades breached

Near J. P. Roundabout, protestors climbed over barricades and attempted to remove them. Personnel of the Bihar police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Shastra Seema Bal ( SSB) tried to stop them, but their efforts proved futile after the protesters breached the barricade and reached Dak Bungalow, which is at the heart of State capital Patna.

The demonstrators then marched towards Lok Bhavan via Bailey Road despite the presence of a large number of security forces at Dak Bungalow. Some protesters allegedly attacked vehicles with BJP stickers. They also removed roadside BJP banners, tore party flags and damaged a gate of Gandhi Maidan near the official residence of Patna’s District Magistrate.

Several injured

At several places, police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. However, protesters managed to reach the vicinity of Lok Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s residence during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Bihar Legislature. They allegedly threw stones at the police, leaving several personnel with head injuries. Several students, including AISA leaders, were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).

Many protesters said the march had been organised in solidarity with the ongoing protest in Delhi concerning education and student rights. They also condemned the alleged police action against students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, asserting that instead of suppressing the students’ voices, the government should address issues such as rampant corruption in the education system and question paper leaks.

“The government’s brutal suppression of the students’ peaceful march is utterly shameful. Many students have been beaten mercilessly, and some have sustained serious injuries. Several students have suffered head injuries, and many female students have also been beaten,” said an AISA activist.

Defending the police action, a senior police officer said the protestors attempted to breach security arrangements, following which necessary preventive measures were taken to maintain law and order.

CPI (ML) MLA from the Paliganj Assembly Constituency Sandeep Saurabh condemned the police action. “Lakhs of students across the country are being mercilessly beaten just to shield Dharmendra Pradhan. Mr. Pradhan must take responsibility for the NEET paper leak and resign,” Mr. Saurabh said.

Several protesters were also injured when police used batons and chased demonstrators amid stone-pelting. The confrontation lasted for nearly six hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the streets of Patna.

BJP-Congress clash

Meanwhile, the State capital witnessed a violent clash between BJP and Congress workers during a protest against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a day after his sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.

The clash occurred when BJP workers were protesting outside Sadaquat Ashram, the Bihar Congress headquarters. Workers of both parties allegedly attacked each other with flagpoles, leaving several people injured.

Later, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Bihar BJP State president Sanjay Saraogi visited Kurji hospital to meet the injured party workers.

Mr. Saraogi said, “The peaceful protest is the right of every political party in a democratic system; however, instead of respecting this right, the Congress has exposed its anti-democratic mindset by resorting to violence.”