FIR AGAINST PK OVER ASSEMBLY SEIGE

FIR AGAINST PK OVER ASSEMBLY SEIGE

24-JULY-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-------------------------An FIR has been registered against Jan Suraj Party chief Prashant Kishore. Patna Police has alleged that on July 23, Jan Suraj Abhiyan convenor Prashant Kishore and his supporters demonstrated in a restricted area near the Bihar Legislative Assembly and tried to disturb law and order. City SP Central Diksha has said that on the basis of the statement of the magistrate, this action has been taken against 300 unidentified people including Prashant Kishore at the Secretariat police station. The incident took place during the monsoon session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly when Kishore called for a Vidhan Sabha siege under Jan Suraj.

Activists and supporters of Jan Suraj led by Prashant Kishore had come out to gherao the Vidhan Sabha over issues like alleged corruption in education, health, employment and land survey in Bihar. Police tried to stop the protesters by putting up barricades near Chitkohra Golambar. The situation worsened when the protesters broke the barricades and moved forward. Police used lathicharge and water cannons, in which many protesters were injured. Kishore was also detained by the police, but was later released. The City SP claimed that minimum force was used and the protesters were repeatedly warned. On the other hand, supporters of Jan Suraj allege that their demonstration was peaceful and the police used force unnecessarily.

Prashant Kishore has described this incident as an attempt to suppress the voice of the people against the Nitish Kumar government. He said, "This is just the beginning. If the government does not pay heed to our demands, next time one lakh people will be on the streets of Patna." He has accused the government of ignoring the demands of the people and warned to intensify his campaign further. Patna Police says that the protesters tried to enter the restricted area without permission, which could have worsened the law and order situation. Prashant Kishore has termed Nitish Kumar's government as "jungle raj of bureaucracy" and described Lalu Prasad's rule as "jungle raj of organized crime". His aggressive strategy and issue-based campaign of Jan Suraj like demands for education, employment and removal of liquor ban is garnering good support among the youth and rural areas of Bihar.