Bihar Police denies BJP functionary’s death was a result of lathi-charge
According to the Bihar Police, Vijay Kumar Singh, a deceased BJP functionary, was not killed in the lathi-charge incident during a protest in Patna on Thursday. The police stated that Singh was not present at the protest site when the lathi-charge took place. However, the BJP party refuted this claim, insisting that Singh was indeed present and died due to police brutality.
Senior Superintendent of Police Rajeev Mishra issued a statement late on Thursday, saying that preliminary investigations and scrutiny of CCTV footage revealed that Singh had never reached the Dak Bungalow roundabout where the lathi-charge occurred. The footage showed Singh and two other individuals walking in the Chajju Bagh area, away from the protest site. Eyewitnesses later reported seeing Singh lying on the road near an electric transformer, around 50 meters away from the nearest CCTV camera.
The police clarified that the lathi-charge did not occur in the area where Singh was found, and no external injury marks were found on his body. Singh’s companions also confirmed that they did not go to the Dak Bungalow roundabout, as they decided against approaching the police barricade. They took Singh to a nearby hospital by rickshaw, and the incident of him fainting likely happened between 1.23 pm and 1.27 pm, according to the CCTV footage. No policemen were seen in the vicinity of Singh or the rickshaw.
The police emphasized that there was no evidence of a stampede or any disturbances in the area shown in the CCTV footage. They explained that the exact cause of Singh’s death could only be determined after the post-mortem report.
In response to the police’s statement, Samrat Choudhary, the BJP state president, asserted that Vijay Kumar Singh was indeed present at the protest site and died as a result of police brutality. Several senior BJP leaders have called for the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing the police of acting under the directions of the Chief Minister’s Office.
The district administration, however, stated that only mild force was used to disperse the BJP activists when they attempted to breach the barricades at the Dak Bungalow crossing. They were trying to proceed towards a prohibited area that houses various VIP installations, including the offices of political parties, the Patna High Court, and Raj Bhavan. Some police officers alleged that the protesters threw red chili powder at them during the demonstration.
Vijay Kumar Sinha, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, announced that the BJP will hold another march to Raj Bhavan on Friday to protest against the death of their party leader.
While the Bihar Police maintains that Vijay Kumar Singh was not present at the protest site, the BJP continues to insist that he was. The conflicting accounts further intensify the controversy surrounding the incident, highlighting the need for a thorough investigation to determine the facts and ensure justice is served.
