Protests during Pragati Yatra: RJD leaders meet Home Dept official, seek demonstrators’ release
Patna, Jan 13 (IANS) The protests against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during his Pragati Yatra and the BPSC-related issues have drawn significant political attention while creating tensions, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) stepping in to demand the release of students and youth detained on Monday.
A high-level delegation led by Abdul Bari Siddiqui, the RJD’s national general secretary, met with Arvind Chaudhary, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, to push for action on this issue.
The delegation submitted a memorandum with three main demands. The RJD leaders demanded the immediate release of students and youths arrested for participating in protests across the state.
The RJD demanded the unconditional release of all arrested students and youths who were detained while participating in protests across Bihar. The party called for a complete prohibition on the arrest of individuals engaging in peaceful and democratic protests.
An impartial inquiry was sought into the police’s inappropriate actions, including allegations of excessive force and misuse of authority, during protests in areas like Madhubani, Chhapra, and Samastipur.
The memorandum emphasised the need for the state government and law enforcement to act in accordance with the constitutional rights of citizens, particularly with respect to peaceful dissent.
RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan condemned the government for filing fake cases against protesters and sending them to jail, labelling such actions as undemocratic.
“In a democracy, citizens have the Constitutional right to oppose policies they perceive as unjust or harmful. The government is suppressing dissent,” Gagan said.
The delegation comprised several senior leaders, including Abdul Bari Siddiqui, National General Secretary, Uday Narayan Chaudhary, National Vice President, Bhola Yadav, National General Secretary, Binu Yadav, State Vice President, Ashok Kumar Singh, state Vice President, Dr. Tanveer Hasan and Mrityunjay Tiwari, state Spokesperson.
In response to the memorandum, the Additional Chief Secretary assured the delegation that he would gather detailed information about the cases and take appropriate action based on the demands outlined in the memorandum.
–IANS
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