After RJD, Bihar's JD-U leader demands arrest of Minister's son

Echoing the opposition RJD's demand for the arrest of Union Minister Ashwani Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat in the wake of communal violence in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, senior Janata Dal-United leader K.C. Tyagi on Tuesday said he should either surrender or be arrested.

Tyagi, considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said that questions over law and order in Bihar would harm the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar as the RJD is missing no chance to project that the state government has failed to act against the accused for allegedly creating communal trouble.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders have been protesting both inside and outside the Assembly for the last one week to demand the arrest of Shashwat.

Last week, a case was lodged against BJP leader Shashwat on charges of taking out a procession without prior permission, inciting communal sentiments and roaming on the streets with arms in Bhagalpur.

Nitish Kumar's JD-U is an ally of the BJP-led NDA which also comprises the Lok Janshakti Party and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party.

RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav said the government had failed to arrest Shashwat.

"More than 10 days after Shashwat led a procession without permission that caused communal clashes and tension, the Nitish Kumar government is yet to arrest him. The RJD demands the arrest of Choubey's son for communal clashes," Tejashwi said.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bihar, Ashwani Choubey is Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

The procession was organised by the Bharatiya Navvarsh Jagran Samiti ahead of the Hindu new year on Sunday.

Shashwat unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly polls as the BJP candidate from Bhagalpur, considered a stronghold of Choubey who was elected MP from Buxar in 2014.

Bhagalpur is a communally sensitive district, witnessing one of the worst communal riots in 1989 in which more than 1,000 persons were killed.

--IANS

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