NEET Protests: Water cannons, barricades stop students' march to Bihar CM's residence in Patna | Watch Video
Waving flags of organisations such as the NSUI, AISF and DYFI, the protesters assembled at Gandhi Maidan and marched towards the chief minister's residence before being stopped by police barricades near the Income Tax roundabout, around two kilometres away.
Hundreds of students and youth activists marching towards Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary's residence to protest against the alleged police crackdown on last month's agitation over the NEET paper leak were dispersed with water cannons in Patna on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported.
Waving flags of organisations such as the NSUI, AISF and DYFI, the protesters assembled at Gandhi Maidan and marched towards the chief minister's residence before being stopped by police barricades near the Income Tax roundabout, around two kilometres away.
The protesters demanded the release of all students arrested during last month's statewide agitation and withdrawal of criminal cases lodged against them.
"We want a verified list of those who have been released from jail and those who are still behind bars after being arrested during the protests," one of the demonstrators said.
Nearly 600 people were detained by the Bihar Police while enforcing a bandh called last month to demand the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged paper leak.
Police later released around half of them after finding they were minors, while the remaining were sent to jail.
Although the state Home Department subsequently announced that all cases against the students would be withdrawn and those in jail released after a delegation led by AISA president Neha Bora met DGP Vinay Kumar, the protesters alleged that the assurance had not been implemented.
"Many of our friends are yet to return home. The police are lying. We are worried about our friends," screamed another protester at the Gandhi Maidan.
Another activist from Siwan said, “I come from the district where a police personnel had fired at students from an AK-47 rifle. The constable has been suspended, but we also seek action against the SP, who is responsible for making his subordinates trigger-happy.”
Pappu Yadav joins too
Independent Purnea MP Pappu Yadav and state Congress president Rajesh Ram joined the protesters. Ram was among a handful of leaders who were taken away by police after the water cannons were used.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer Amarendra Kumar Jha said the police resorted to water cannons after the protesters attempted to enter a prohibited zone.
"We have not detained anyone but only helped a delegation, picked up from among the protesters, appear before a competent authority for presenting their grievances," he said.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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