Patna: Bihar Bandh, called by left-wing student and youth organizations - All India Students' Association (AISA) and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) – on Saturday witnessed widespread violence across the districts, buttressing the allegation that anti-social elements, along with students, were taking the law into their own hands.
Students have intensified their agitation to protest against the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and the police action on protesting students. The Bihar Bandh is backed by grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) constituents. During Bihar Bandh, incidents of road blockades, arson, sloganeering, and clashes with the police were reported from several districts, including Patna, Chhapra, Siwan, Gaya, Ara, Samastipur, Saharsa, and Nawada. In many places, police resorted to baton charges to disperse protesters, while in Chhapra, stones were also thrown at the police. Several people were injured during the unrest.
In Patna, a large number of students and workers from various organisations gathered around JP Golambar and Ramgulam Chowk near Gandhi Maidan. Police resorted to lathi-charge on protesters after they started pelting stones on cops.
Bihar Bandh also received support from Jan Shakti Janata Dal president and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav. He joined the protest with students and climbed the Ramgulam statue at Gandhi Maidan to express his support for the shutdown.
In Chhapra, the situation worsened when protesters started pelting stones on police personnel at Thana Chowk, persuading them to resort to a baton charge to disperse the crowd. Additional police forces were deployed in the area amid rising tensions.
During the Bihar Bandh in Siwan, protesters vandalised property at several places. The administration deployed additional security forces to bring the situation under control. In Gaya, students marched from Gaya College in protest against the NEET paper leak. The City SP said that peaceful protests were permitted, but strict action would be taken against anyone involved in violence or disorder.
In Saharsa, protesters staged a sit-in on the main road near Thana Chowk. They were protesting the alleged baton charge on students in Patna and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Police forces were deployed across the city as a security measure.
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