PATNA: Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) chief Tej Pratap Yadav was remanded to 14 days' judicial custody and sent to Beur Central Jail in Patna on Sunday after being arrested during the Bihar bandh protest over the alleged NEET paper leak and the police action against student protesters.
Tej Pratap, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was detained near a mall on Frazer Road in Patna on Saturday while participating in the protest. He was taken to Kotwali police station and later produced before a judicial magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody.
The Bihar bandh witnessed clashes between protesters and police as opposition parties and social organisations demanded action over the alleged NEET paper leak and the recent police action against student protesters. Demonstrators also sought the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who later stepped down, taking moral responsibility for the controversy.
Before his detention, Tej Pratap joined students at Ram Gulam Chowk in Patna to express solidarity with their agitation. An FIR was subsequently registered against him at the Gandhi Maidan police station.
Speaking to reporters during his detention, Tej Pratap defended the protesters' demands.
"The students' demands are legitimate. The government must fulfil their demands, and we stand firmly with them. I am ready to lay down my life for the students and youth," he said.
His counsel, Jagannath Singh, said a bail application would be filed on Monday seeking his release.
The arrest comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the Bankipur Assembly by-election. Tej Pratap announced his party's support for Jan Suraaj candidate Prashant Kishor after JJD nominee Veena Manvi's nomination was rejected during scrutiny.
JJD supporters alleged that the Patna Police did not initially disclose Tej Pratap's whereabouts or the grounds for his detention.
Reacting to the arrest, Veena Manvi questioned the police action, saying, "We have not been given a reason for the arrest. Some people are saying that those who went to the protest during the day were arrested. I don't think that was a crime. And now that Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned, the matter has cooled down. So, what is the reason?"