The JNU controversy spilled on to the streets of Patna on Thursday when activists of AISF and the BJP clashed near the BJP office here.
The police chased the activists away and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse them. The BJP accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of being party to the ‘attack’ on BJP office and demanded a probe into the incident.
The AISF, supported by the students’ wings of RJD and JD(U), had organised a march to protest against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and slapping of sedition charge against him. They were also protesting against the attack on Kumar and journalists among others at Patiala House court.
A joint release issued by AISF alleged that the BJP supporters hurled stones at the students, injuring a few. “The stone pelting by the BJP workers was part of the attack on students and journalists in Delhi and other places to scare us,” the statement said.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi alleged, “At the instruction of CM
Nitish Kumar the goondas of JD(U), RJD and left parties attacked BJP office. The CM should apologise for this cowardly attack.”
He said despite information the police did not do anything to stop them.
State BJP chief Mangal Pandey said his party was ready to confront and fight its opponents anywhere but they should attack like cowards.
The police denied any lathi-charge on the protestors and said there had been no clash or attack.
The ABVP also took out a “Bharat Swabhiman” march on Thursday from Patna University. Addressing the activists, ABVP national secretary Nikhil Ranjan said raising anti-national slogans in JNU was pre-planned. He said still the anti-national elements have not been arrested.
RJD supremo lalu Prasad accused the BJP of communalising the society and said Delhi Police was doing what the Centre was asking it to do. lalu said he would condemn if there had been any attack on the office of any party.
lJP chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan supported lalu’s demand that the entire JNU matter should be probed.
He said attending any programme was not crime but raising anti0-national slogans was. It should be investigated who the people were raising anti-India slogans, he added.
Jana Adhikar Party chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav condemned the arrest the Kanhaiya Kumar and said he was being tortured for no reason. He also urged the Supreme Court to appoint a sitting High Court judge for the investigation into the attack on Kanhaiya and journalists inside the court premises in Delhi.