After videos emerged of a Patna district official repeatedly thrashing a government job aspirant lying on the ground, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said such an incident "should have never taken place" and said that an inquiry in the matter has been initiated.
Police lathi-charged and used water cannons to disperse protesters in Patna on Monday, which included several government job aspirants. The video of the official thrashing a protester holding the national flag while lying on the road attracted criticism from across the political spectrum.
The official has been identified as Additional District Magistrate (ADM) KK Singh. Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh said a two-member inquiry committee has been set up to probe the matter.
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At a hurriedly convened press conference, Yadav said he has enquired about the episode from Patna DM who has assured him of an inquiry.
Yadav said, "Such an incident should have never taken place."
The protester was part of a several-hundred-strong crowd that had gathered in the heart Patna demanding teaching jobs for those who have cleared the eligibility tests.
Yadav said, “I urge the youngsters, with folded hands, to have some patience. We are committed to fulfilling our promises. But it has to follow some procedures and cannot happen overnight. I have been receiving job aspirants at my residence, many of whom bring presents like bouquets and pens. My Facebook timeline bears testimony to that. I am fully aware of their anxieties. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also made public his intent to provide not just 10 lakh, but 20 lakh jobs and employment opportunities."
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Yadav also blamed the BJP, which has now been ousted from power in the state, for the acute unemployment problem.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who served as the deputy CM for about a decade and a half till 2020, accused Kumar of being “directly responsible for the sad state of education”.
“The CM’s party JD(U) has throughout kept the education portfolio. So the CM should be held personally responsible for the mess in which education is and which is at the root of today’s violence,” Modi alleged in a statement.
The conduct of Patna ADM Singh was condemned by both the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, which is a partner in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government.
BJP's National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla contrasted the lathi-charge and ADM's assault of the job aspirant with the Rashtriya Janta Dal's (RJD) promise of bringing in 10 lakh jobs in the state.
He tweeted: "Look at the ADM's hooliganism, lathi-charge on those seeking jobs in teacher posts. ADM did not even care about the tricolor and brutally beat up the young man! RJD had promised employment but is giving them lathi! Free run for criminals & lathis for youth!"
State Congress spokesman Asit Nath Tiwari also issued a strongly worded statement condemning the episode. He noted that the ADM has a reputation of high-handedness.
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He said, "The official is KK Singh, an additional district magistrate with a reputation of high-handedness. During the Covid epidemic, he had commanded citizens to produce videos of themselves beating utensils failing which their applications will not be considered.
"We could have understood had the youngster been involved in stone-pelting or any type of physical violence himself. But beating up of a tricolour-wielding young man who posed no menace is unacceptable and the official concerned must be punished."
(With PTI inputs)
