Former Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief Upendra Kushwaha and several other party workers suffered injuries on Saturday when they clashed with the police in Patna during a protest march.
The RLSP had organised an ‘Aakrosh’ (anger) march to highlight the deterioration in the education system in the State. Mr. Kushwaha led the march with party workers shouting slogans demanding the resignation of CM Nitish Kumar. “Nitish Kumar has no moral right to be the Chief Minister of the State when teachers are not protected and paid salaries. The education system here has collapsed,” said an RLSP worker.
When the march reached the city’s Dak Bungalow intersection, the police stopped them from moving onward.
The protesters then clashed with policemen, following which the cops had to resort to water cannons first and finally a baton charge. Over half a dozen RLSP workers, along with their party leader, got injured in the scuffle. Mr. Kushwaha was taken to hospital from where he was discharged after being administered first aid.
Party leader Anand Madhav claimed that Mr. Kushwaha was “targeted deliberately as the party had informed the administration about the march in advance”, and blamed the CM for the same.