Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation MLA Sandeep Saurav was arrested on Friday for allegedly inciting violence during a youth protest in Patna over the irregularities in the conduct of undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, PTI reported.
The police said that Saurav took part in the demonstrations organised by the All India Students’ Association on Wednesday that turned violent.
The authorities alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were assaulted and their vehicles damaged during the protests.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma told the news agency that Saurav had been remanded to judicial custody.
The protests spread to several districts, including Jehanabad, Darbhanga, Katihar and Begusarai on Thursday.
The police alleged that demonstrators threw stones, breached barricades and vandalised government property while demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
At least 146 persons were detained in several districts on Thursday and Friday, PTI reported.
Following his arrest, Saurav said that the movement would continue until Pradhan resigned, ANI reported.
“Until then, the youth of the entire country will not stop raising their voice,” he was quoted as having said. “This fight should continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns and the children who committed suicide in the NEET paper leak get justice.”
Ahead of a state-wide strike called on Saturday by student organisations, security was tightened across Bihar, with additional police personnel deployed at key locations, including Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, ANI reported.
CPI(ML) Liberation condemned what it described as large-scale arrests of its leaders, activists, students and other protesters ahead of the bandh.
“Arrests, fabricated cases, and intimidation will not silence the voices of students and youth demanding justice and accountability,” the party said.
The protests in Bihar came amid nationwide demonstrations over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive exams.
The agitation began in Delhi on June 6, when the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign began a protest at Jantar Mantar to demand the education minister’s resignation.
On Monday, thousands joined the protest after the police forcibly took activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks, to hospital. Their march to Parliament was met with a crackdown by the police. Dozens were injured as the police used lathis, fired tear gas shells and pellet guns against the demonstrators.
The police action turbocharged the agitation, which spread to other parts of the country.
Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.
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