Goons in civil dresses were sent by administration to defame

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday denied that his supporters had turned violent during the Raj Bhavan march last week and alleged that goons in civil dresses had been sent by the administration to disrupt public order.

The former Union minister, who had sustained serious injuries in the lathi charge that took place at the Dak Bungalow crossing here on Saturday last, also challenged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to order a judicial inquiry into the incident.

He also warned that he would court arrest along with hundreds of supporters if cases lodged against unnamed protesters following Saturdays clash with police were not withdrawn.

I want to say this to the Chief Minister you have been misleading the people with the claim that our march had turned violent. The fact is, goons donning civil dresses had been sent by you, your administration, for creating a ruckus so that the police could have a justification for exercising brute force, Kushwaha told reporters here.

Appearing before the media with his right arm wrapped in plaster, Kushwaha who was discharged from the hospital Monday evening 48 hours after being injured in the lathi charge also said I demand that the Chief Minister get the entire episode investigated by a sitting judge of the Patna High Court. The truth about his claim vis-a-vis ours will be there for all to see.

The RLSP was staging a march to the Raj Bhavan to submit before the Governor one crore signatures collected from across the state in support of their charter of demands for educational reforms in the state.

Nearly 100 party supporters, including Kushwaha himself, were said to have received injuries as police resorted to included lathi charge and use of water cannons as the RLSP workers tried to muscle their way upon being stopped from marching beyond the Dak Bungalow crossing, about two kilometres from Raj Bhavan.

I am appalled that cases have been lodged against unnamed protesters by the police as a cover-up for the disturbances that were caused by a conspiracy of the ruling dispensation to defame us and our peaceful demonstration. We hereby give an ultimatum all these bogus cases be withdrawn by February 08 else I would be going to the police station along with my supporters to court arrest, Kushwaha who walked out of the NDA and joined the opposition Grand Alliance two months ago said.

The government in the state is rattled by our raising the issue of education in the state where an entire generation is suffering on account of the poor quality of teaching. Therefore, it wants to suppress our movement by hook or by crook, Kushwaha, who was the Union minister of state for HRD in the Narendra Modi government, said.