By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Patna: The youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) yesterday staged a violent protest and tried to entre the Assembly campus in Bihar’s capital city protesting against the state government’s decision to allow off-campus centre of Aligarh Muslim University in Kishanganj. They were protesting against any such campus in the state. The state government, of which BJP is partner, has allocated 250 acres of land for the campus in the Muslim dominated eastern Bihar district.
Around 10am on 29th March hundreds of people gathered in Gandhi Maidan, in Patna who later marched to Bihar Assembly raising slogans against the state government. When security forces tried to stop them at R-Block, the gateway to the Assembly, they flied into a passion and started stone-pelting which left some policemen injured and within few minutes the area turned into battlefield. To control the situation police resorted to lathicharge. These protesters were members of ABVP who were protesting against decision of opening AMU special centre in Bihar’s Muslim dominated district Kishanganj.
It is interesting to note that Bihar government led by JD (U)-BJP alliance has allotted 250 acres land for the AMU campus sometimes back. But BJP students’ wing has been agitating against it for long time saying that AMU campus in Kishanganj will give a safe refuge to militants of Bangladesh. Before capital city they have organized a protest rally in Kishanganj and expressed their determination to continue their agitation in different ways until their demand is considered. They also called Bihar bandh on 1st April.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mr. Nitish Kumar defended the government decision to have AMU campus in Kishanganj saying that it is a progressive step for the development of education in the state. He also said that it will certainly create educational awareness among people of the state and especially that of Semanchal which is educationally most backward region.
“Our government is determined for educational development in the state. Therefore, we have decided to establish several technical and professional educational institutes and AMU campus is part of that. I think it should not be opposed as it will benefit people of all communities and not any certain community” said Chief Minister while talking to reporters immediate after the incident.
He, however, refused to comment on ABVP and said that in democracy everyone has right to express their feeling.
[Photo by www.ndtv.com]