Union minister Upendra Kushwaha roughed up by anti-quota protesters in Bihar; clashes erupt in several districts

PATNA: Union minister and OBC leader Upendra Kushwaha’s cavalcade was on Tuesday stopped and he was manhandled by anti-reservation protesters in Bihar’s Vaishali district during Bharat Bandh. Bihar witnessed several incidents of clashes during the protests.

Some 30 protesters forced Kushwaha’s car to stop near Hajipur when he was on his way to Motihari to attend a programme in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest. The incident prevented the Union minister of state for human resource and development, who is also the national president of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), from making it to Motihari.

“Some people with feudal characteristics and opposed to social equality had blocked the road at Loma village of Hajipur. When I tried to persuade them, they manhandled me and used derogatory words against Dalits and the backward community,” said Kushwaha in a series of tweets.

RLSP national spokesperson Madhaw Anand and several other leaders condemned the attack on Kushwaha. “The RLSP has been founded on the ideals of socialism and equality. We have always stood in favour of affirmative action and will continue to do so. The people of Bihar know this very well,” said Anand.

Violent protests by people demanding abolition of caste-based reservation in jobs and educational opportunities were seen in Barh, Kaimur, Chapra, Ara, Nalanda, Gaya, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, among other places. The state police were on high alert for the bandh, which was the second nationwide bandh in a fortnight over reservations based on caste.

In Ara town of Bhojpur district, 12 people were injured in a violent clash between supporters of the Bharat Bandh and a pro-reservation group comprising OBCs and Dalits during the bandh. Supporters of the bandh, mostly upper-castes youth, blocked roads at several places of the district.

At least five policemen were injured in Gaya during an incident of stone pelting by the bandh supporters. Police wielded the baton to disperse the mob. In Begusarai district, the SHO of Lakho police station was injured in stone-pelting by the anti-reservation protesters.

A statue of dalit icon BR Ambedkar was damaged by the bandh supporters in Sheikhpura. The protesters pelted stones at police and clashed with the cops, said sources.

#WATCH: Clash between two groups in Bihar's Arrah during protests against caste-based reservations, gunshots heard. pic.twitter.com/s0RUA4KP2B

— ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2018

In Jharkhand’s Deoghar, a group of bandh supporters forced their way into Ambedkar Library in the town and indulged in vandalism. Swift police action, however, prevented any major damage, said sources. The protests in Jharkhand were much smaller in magnitude than Bihar.

“Violence seen during this bandh was incited by BJP and RSS. While the protests took to the streets, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar remained a mute spectator because he is just a puppet,” said Rajya Sabha member and RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha.