Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP-led Bihar government over the student protests there, accusing it of turning the police into a weapon to evade accountability.
Gandhi's remarks came over the viral video of a six-year-old slum-dwelling boy, in which he is heard making bold and sharp comments at a students' protest in Patna before being taken away by police to be handed over to his parents.
Social media was abuzz with rumours that the boy -- Aditya, a resident of Punaichak locality in Patna -- had been "arrested" for taking part in the protests. Police have dismissed the claim, stating that the boy was kept at the police station "for his own safety" but was later handed over to his mother, a house help.
In an X post in Hindi, Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said, "The students in Bihar have a very straightforward question: Why are there irregularities in recruitment exams?"
"Why no action on allegations of paper leaks? And how long will this tampering with the future of the youth continue?" he asked.
"The controversy over BPSC exams is not of today. Students have been on the streets for a long time over the recruitment process, exam pattern, delays, and transparency. But instead of answering, what is the government doing? It's wielding batons and water cannons. It's taking students into custody," Gandhi said.
In Siwan, there was even firing on protesters with an AK-47, he said.
"This is not just a question of police action; this is a question of the mindset of the BJP government, which has no answers. That is why it is turning the police into a weapon to evade accountability," Gandhi alleged.
He said the BJP government should understand that questions don't stop with batons. "You can't snatch away someone's future by instilling fear. The students of Bihar will keep asking questions. And now, it's not just answers they want; they demand accountability," Gandhi said.
Thousands of students fought a pitched battle with Bihar Police in Patna on Tuesday, hurling stones and braving water cannons and lathi-charge, upon being prevented from marching to the chief minister's residence to air their grievances.
The protesters, most of them aspirants for the Teachers' Recruitment Exams to be conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) next month, had announced a 'Mukhyamantri Awas Gherao' to press their demand to hold the written tests in a single stage, instead of prelims followed by mains.
A section of the protesters also demanded the cancellation of Combined Competitive Exams held by the BPSC earlier this year, alleging that the tests were marred by "irregularities".
Several Left-wing activists owing allegiance to organisations like SFI and DYFI joined the protesters in their procession, which began at the historic Gandhi Maidan that has witnessed many upheavals recently.
(With inputs from PTI)
