Several injured in stone pelting, lathicharge in Patna

Several protestors and some policemen were injured in stone pelting and lathicharge by the police today on members of Nishad (fishermen) community agitating for grant of schedule status to them.
Agitators under the banner of 'Nishad Adhikar Manch' ignored police warnings and proceeded towards Raj Bhawan even when permission was denied to them, police sources said.
When they broke the barricade at JP roundabout near Gandhi Maidan and started pelting stones, police resorted to lathicharge in which several persons, including some policemen, were injured, they added.
With visuals of police lathicharge flashing on media, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high level review meeting at his residence late in the evening.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, state police chief P K Thakur and Principal Secretary, Home, Amir Subhani, an official statement said.
Kumar ordered them to seek a report from the Commissioner, Patna and Deputy Inspector General of Police on the incident, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Opposition BJP strongly condemned the lathicharge on agitating members of Nishad community and attributed it to "frustration" of JD(U) and RJD alliance sensing a "sure defeat."
"The government of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad has become frustrated seeing a sure defeat of the alliance in the coming Bihar elections and today's lathicharge was borne out of it," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said in a statement.

He also pointed to Kumar's warning to the contractual statistical employees at Samastipur two days back to highlight the highhandedness of the state government.