TEJASHWI CALLS CM A STREET-LEVEL CRIMINAL

TEJASHWI CALLS CM A STREET-LEVEL CRIMINAL

27-JULY-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA------------------------Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has once again taken to social media platform 'X' to lash out regarding the Siwan firing incident and the arrest of his elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav. He fiercely criticized Bihar's [Deputy] Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, labeling him a "street-level criminal."

In his post, Tejashwi Yadav wrote, "The [Deputy] Chief Minister of Bihar—accused in seven murder cases—is a street-level criminal who, abandoning all democratic traditions, ordered the firing of AK-47s at protesting students for the first time in the country. Despite reaching an agreement with the students, thousands are being detained and slapped with false cases, and their families are being harassed. If the students are not released, the NDA government will pay a heavy price."

"A person with the mindset of a street-level criminal has been made a leader in Bihar—the 'Mother of Democracy'—despite the public never having voted for him based on his name, work, or identity, nor will they ever do so. You cannot suppress the voice of the people of Bihar through the use of batons and state machinery. If the student protesters are not released immediately, they will be forced to launch another agitation." – Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition.

Former minister and Janshakti Janata Dal chief Tej Pratap Yadav was arrested by the police on Saturday evening after arriving to support the students' protest during the 'Bihar Bandh' (shutdown). He was arrested in the evening after participating in the student protest at Ramgulam Chowk earlier that day; he was picked up from a mall in Patna. The police took Tej Pratap to the Digha police station, and he was subsequently sent to Beur Jail for 14 days.

A 'Bihar Bandh' had been called for July 25 in protest against the NEET paper leak. During the protests, a confrontation broke out between the police and a group of students in Siwan, leading to stone-pelting. To bring the situation under control, the police resorted to a lathi-charge. During the incident, the police fired four rounds, injuring two protesters.

Meanwhile, taking action, the police have arrested more than 200 people. Abhishek Patel, the personnel who opened fire, has been suspended pending disciplinary action. Meanwhile, a video went viral on social media showing a police officer armed with a modern weapon; citing this, Tejashwi Yadav alleged that students were fired upon with an AK-47.

Amid the NEET-UG controversy and nationwide student protests, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. Following Pradhan's resignation, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) announced the end of its agitation. CJP spokespersons Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka made this announcement during a joint press conference alongside Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. Additionally, an appeal was made to all protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar to return to their homes.