Patna: A BJP leader was killed and several others including MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal sustained injuries on Thursday when police resorted to lathi-charge on party activists marching towards the Assembly here while protesting on a host of issues including the domicile policy of the state government in teachers appointment.
The protestors also highlighted corruption, the deteriorating law and order and other issues.
The marchers led by BJP state president Samrat Chaudhary were moving towards the Assembly from Gandhi Maidan when they were stopped by the security personnel near the busy Dak Bangla Chauraha.
A tussle ensued between the security personnel and BJP activists following which the police used water canon and lobbed tear gas shells to prevent the activists from moving ahead.
The police later resorted to a baton charge to disperse the mob in which Lok Sabha MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal and several other party workers sustained injuries.
Expressing deep sorrow over the death of Vijay Singh, BJP General Secretary of Jehanabad district, Union Minister of State for Home Nithyananda Rai held the Nitish-Tejaswi government responsible.
He demanded the immediate resignation of the chief minister.
BJP Rajyasabha MP and formal Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi through his tweet claimed that the party’s Jehanabad district general secretary died due to injuries suffered in the “brutal” police lathicharge.
The district administration, however, denied that the BJP leader died because of the police baton charge.
The district administration stated that no injury was found on the deceased’s body.
Patna Medical College Hospital sources confirmed the BJP leader’s death and said that he was brought dead and there were no external injuries on his body. The post-mortem will ascertain the exact cause of death, ascertained the sources.
Meanwhile, MP Sigriwal was also rushed to the hospital by ambulance for treatment of his injuries. Similarly several other leaders including the leader of the opposition in the state assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha. Rajendra Singh, Sanjay Mishra, Vikram Singh, Som Yadav, Upendra Chauhan and some party women activists were injured.
Other BJP activists were also taken to various hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
The BJP state president alleged that the state government has exhibited its “dictatorial attitude” by resorting to police lathicharge on the “peaceful demonstration”.
He said it seems the government has lost confidence in democracy and was trying to suppress the voice raised against it . He said the BJP would continue to expose the “failures and faulty policies” of the government and the party workers were not scared of lathis and bullets.
Chaudhari, former Bihar Minister Nitin Navin and MP Sushil Modi along with several other leaders staged a dharna in protest against the lathi charge.
Later all these leaders were detained by the police.
UNI
