New Delhi, 10 August (H.S.):

The Congress on Monday accused the Bihar government of excessive police action during protests by students and young people in the state and demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged incidents. The party sought accountability from those responsible and called for the withdrawal of cases registered against protesting students.

Congress’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru alleged that police opened fire with an AK-47 at youths protesting in Siwan and claimed that several students and young protesters were detained and subjected to alleged mistreatment. The party demanded an inquiry into the incidents and action against police personnel found responsible.

Members of fact-finding teams sent by the Congress to six cities in Bihar addressed a press conference in New Delhi and presented their findings on the protests and the alleged police response.

Allavaru alleged that an AK-47 was used against protesting youths and that several people sustained bullet injuries. He also claimed that students and young people were detained at various locations across Bihar.

He questioned the circumstances under which such action was allegedly authorised against students raising their concerns, asking who had ordered the police response. According to him, the alleged treatment of students has raised serious questions about the government’s intentions.

Allavaru also raised allegations concerning the allocation of land to industrialist Gautam Adani, claiming that the government had provided land at a rate of Rs 1 per acre. He said Bihar’s students and youth were asking why examination fees could not similarly be reduced to Rs 1 if land could allegedly be provided at such a rate.

The All India Congress Committee had constituted six fact-finding teams and sent them to different parts of Bihar to interact with students, young people, journalists and administrative officials. The teams were tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the police action and determining how and at what level the orders for such action were allegedly issued.

Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib alleged that students and young protesters in Bihar were treated in a manner similar to criminals. He claimed that some youths were detained at night and that their eyes were allegedly covered. He further alleged that some parents were threatened at gunpoint and warned that their children could face an encounter if they continued to speak against the government.

Chib said the fact-finding teams had spoken to several students who complained of being implicated in allegedly false cases. He said the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) would continue to support the students and raise their concerns.

NSUI president Vinod Jakhar also alleged that several students were detained at night and subjected to intimidation. He said complaints had emerged that students were being threatened and allegedly framed in cases, adding that the organisation would continue to stand by them.

Congress leader and Minority Congress president Imran Pratapgarhi, who was part of the fact-finding exercise, spoke about the incident in Siwan. He said the team had visited the area and that police initially denied that firearms had been used. According to Pratapgarhi, a police personnel accused of firing an AK-47 was subsequently suspended.

Pratapgarhi claimed that the three injured youths belonged to economically disadvantaged families and alleged that they were shot while demanding their rights. He further said that after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to the Union Home Minister and the Bihar Congress staged protests, the state government issued a notification withdrawing cases registered against students.

Independent MP Pappu Yadav called for examination centres to be established at the divisional or district level to reduce the additional travel and accommodation expenses faced by students. He also advocated better online education platforms for economically disadvantaged students and a properly structured examination calendar.

Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak raised the issue of alleged police action against students in both Delhi and Bihar, saying the incidents had highlighted what she described as the government’s insensitivity towards protesting students.

Vikrant Bhuria, president of the Congress’s Tribal Department, described the alleged use of an AK-47 during the Siwan protest as a matter of serious concern and demanded accountability for the incident.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar