Kejriwal urged the Centre not to ‘mess with students’
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the reported use of AK-47 rifles during police action against protesting students in Bihar. He accused the Centre of responding to dissent with excessive force.Kejriwal urged the Centre not to “mess with students”, invoking the 1974 Total Revolution led by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan in Bihar. Recalling the iconic slogan, “Singhasan khali karo, ke janta aati hai” (“Vacate the throne, for the people are coming”), he warned the government against suppressing student protests. “What’s gotten into the BJP? In Bihar, bullets from AK-47s were fired at our students. Are these students terrorists? I want to remind Emperor Modi that under the leadership of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, the soil of Bihar once echoed with the slogan: ‘Vacate the throne, for the people are coming’. Please don’t mess with the students,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.Earlier, Bihar’s Siwan witnessed violent clashes between student protesters and police during demonstrations over alleged examination irregularities and the NEET paper leak controversy. Police resorted to a lathi charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd after reports of stone-pelting. An incident involving the firing of an AK-47 rifle was also reported during the unrest.The Opposition has targeted the Centre over the police action against protesters in Bihar’s Siwan. Police, however, said a constable fired four rounds into the air after he was allegedly surrounded by supporters enforcing the bandh.Constable Abhishek Kumar has been suspended, and departmental proceedings have been initiated against him over the incident.The district administration said the constable was part of a District Intelligence Unit (DIU) team passing through JP Chowk to investigate a separate murder case when he became caught in the protest. Amid the commotion, he fired four rounds into the air from an AK-47 assault rifle. The District Magistrate said the action was unauthorised and inappropriate, noting that such weapons are not meant to be used for crowd control.The development comes as the Bihar government has announced a blanket amnesty for all those involved in the student-led protests over NEET-UG paper leak.The decision follows a statewide police crackdown on July 25, during which 694 protesters were detained or arrested amid demonstrations demanding accountability and reforms in the examination and higher education systems.The protests were called off the same day after then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. The government subsequently reached an agreement with the CJP and activist Sonam Wangchuk to withdraw cases against protesters, prevent police intimidation and introduce legislation aimed at preventing examination paper leaks.
