Tejashwi Yadav detained during protest march in Patna; water cannon used to disperse RJD supporters

Patna, Aug 19 (AHN) Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav was detained by police on Wednesday during the RJD’s ‘Lok Bhavan March’ in Patna. 

The protest, organised over student grievances, unemployment and the alleged AK-47 firing during a student protest in Siwan, escalated after demonstrators attempted to cross police barricades at Dak Bungalow Crossing.

Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters as the crowd tried to move forward.

The RJD workers also carried a large cutout depicting an AK-47 as they raised the Siwan firing issue.

The RJD National Working President alleged that the police action was being carried out on the instructions of Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary.

He said the government's attempts to stop the demonstration would not weaken the movement, arguing that people had come onto the streets to voice their concerns.

RJD Lok Sabha member from Patliputra Misa Bharti also participated in the march.

Referring to the alleged use of an AK-47 against students, she questioned who authorised the weapon's deployment.

She further argued that if permission for the action had been granted by the District Magistrate or SP, accountability should extend to the officers as well.

The RJD's mobilisation comes amid a separate protest by students in Patna over the BPSC TRE-4 recruitment examination.

Although the examination advertisement has been released, candidates are opposing the introduction of negative marking in both the preliminary and main examinations and are demanding that the provision be withdrawn.

In view of the march, Patna Traffic Police imposed restrictions on movement around the Dak Bungalow Crossing.

Traffic travelling from Patna Junction and the railway station towards Dak Bungalow Crossing was restricted, with commuters advised to use alternative routes.

The confrontation at Dak Bungalow Crossing has turned the RJD's planned march into a major political confrontation, with the opposition linking student grievances, examination policies, unemployment and the Siwan firing controversy in its attack on the state government.