Bihar Govt defends police action against JAP protesters

The Bihar government today defended the police action to disperse the protesters of Jan Adhikar Party led by Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav yesterday who was subsequently arrested in connection with another case.
"The protesters led by Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav were proceeding towards the state legislature in violation of prohibitory orders and those in breach of terms of permission granted for protest event ... They pelted stones on the cops who tried to prevent them from proceeding towards the legislature premises prompting the Police to take coercive action," state Parliamentary Affairs minister Shrawan Kumar said in a statement in the legislative Assembly.

Among coercive measures, the Police used water cannon, tear gas shells and mild baton charge on the protesters to bring law and order situation under control near Gardanibagh, the venue of the protest by JAP and other organisations, he said.
Kumar said an FIR was lodged in connection with violent protest by the JAP workers at Gardanibagh police station yesterday and a dozen policemen including the Station House Officers (SHOs) of Phulwarisharif and Shastri Nagar police stations were injured in stone pelting by JAP protesters.
The Police had also foiled a march towards the state legislature by the Contractual Teachers' Association yesterday.