Protests Against BJP Leader's Death Rock Bihar Legislature; BJP Observes 'Black Day'

PATNA: Frenzied protests by members of the opposition BJP in both Houses of the legislature in Bihar over the death of a party leader, which they blamed on a police lathi-charge, led to adjournment till 2 pm within minutes of the commencement of proceedings. BJP members had come to the legislature wearing black badges, while some of them even dressed in kurtas or had 'gamchas' of the same colour wrapped around their necks, on the last day of the monsoon session.

Marshals evicted Lalganj MLA Sanjay Kumar Singh who rushed into the well and clambered atop the table meant for reporting staff. The MLA tore off his black kurta in a display of frustration even as other BJP members stood inside the well, trying to upturn the table and trading barbs with legislators of the ruling RJD, well after Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary announced that the House would reassemble after lunch.

Similar uproarious scenes were witnessed in the upper house where little business could take place after Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary tabled the supplementary budget. The BJP, which organised a 'Vidhan Sabha march' on Thursday, alleged that its Jehanabad district general secretary Vijay Singh died because of injuries sustained in a "brutal" lathi-charge by the police.

#WATCH | Patna: BJP MLA Sanjay Singh marshalled out of Bihar Assembly pic.twitter.com/jmi52qe5lf — ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2023

The administration, however, claimed that CCTV footages showed that the deceased was not at Dak Bungalow crossing when "mild" use of force was resorted to and doctors at the hospital, where he breathed his last, found no injury marks on his body.

The BJP on Friday said the death of its Jehanabad district general secretary Vijay Singh in alleged police lathi charge in Patna was "a pre-planned conspiracy" of the Nitish Kumar government to stop people of the state from demanding their rights and justice. BJP leader and Union minister Nityanand Rai said the "brutal" lathi charge and use of tear gas shells by the police on the BJP leaders and workers during their protest against various decisions of the Bihar government was a reminder of the British Raj.

"Police lathi charge on BJP workers was a pre-planned, state-sponsored conspiracy to stop people of Bihar from demanding their rights and justice," the Minister of State for Home Affairs told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here. "It's Jungle raj 3.0 in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav," he added The BJP demands that the Bihar government rollback all decisions taken against the interests of farmers, students and teachers, Rai said.

The BJP also demands the arrest of those who killed Vijay Singh, he added.