The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav was detained on Wednesday during a protest march to the Lok Bhavan in Patna over the alleged use of AK-47 rifles during a student demonstration and wider issues like unemployment and education.
Yadav had announced the march to protest the police action during the student agitation and to demand accountability over the firing incident.
He has questioned who authorised the use of AK-47s during the protest and called for a judicial inquiry into the matter.
As the protesters moved towards the Lok Bhavan. Yadav and other opposition leaders were subsequently detained.
Speaking to the reporters Bihar assembly LoP said that the government will have to bow down as police used water cannon to disperse protesters during a foot march towards Lok Bhavan in Patna.
“The public has awakened and is on the streets. The government will have to bow down. Such actions will not work,” said Yadav.
RJD MP Misa Bharti, who also joined the march, questioned the use of an AK-47 during a student protest and alleged that the Bihar government was “killing the future” of students in the state.
The protest comes amid a growing political confrontation in Bihar over the handling of student demonstrations and allegations of excessive use of force.
Yadav has accused the state government of failing to maintain law and order and has warned that the Opposition would continue to raise the issue.
According to reports, three people were injured in the firing, while the police personnel seen using an AK-47 was later suspended.
Yadav has repeatedly questioned why such firearms were used during a protest and demanded that those responsible for ordering the action be identified.
RJD leader Misa Bharti also joined the foot march, raising issues of paper leaks, unemployment and problems faced by students and youth in Bihar.
“We have heard that the Bihar government in the Supreme Court has admitted that the AK-47 was used (against students). The Bihar govt should have been asked by the court who permitted the use of AK-47 in a protest. If the DM gave permission, he should be suspended. This Bihar govt is killing the future of students of Bihar,” said Bharti.
Meanwhile, police resorted to water cannons to disperse the crowd carrying out a foot march towards Lok Bhavan.
