1 month ago

Bankipur Bypoll: Police Detain Jan Suraaj Workers, BJP Defends Law

Bankipur Bypoll: Police Detain Jan Suraaj Workers, BJP Defends Law
Bankipur bypoll: Prashant Kishor alleges over 16 Jan Suraaj workers detained; BJP minister says law applies to all · thestatesman.com

In the Bankipur bypoll in Bihar, Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, says police took more than 16 of his supporters to different police stations before voting started.

He says the police didn’t record any arrests and that the workers were moved around without telling anyone where they were.

BJP leaders, including Ram Kripal Yadav, say the law is the same for everyone and that voters are still backing their candidate, Neeraj Kumar Sinha.

The election began on Thursday with high security, and the votes will be counted on 3 August.

The bypoll happened because the previous BJP MLA, Nitin Nabin, left his seat to join the Rajya Sabha.

Key facts

Event
Bankipur Assembly bypoll
Voting began
Thursday
Counting date
3 August 2024
Candidates
Prashant Kishor (Jan Suraaj), Neeraj Kumar Sinha (BJP), Tej Pratap Yadav (Janashakti Janata Dal), 23 others
Allegations
Bihar police detained >16 Jan Suraaj workers before voting
Police officer
Rituraj Kumar Singh, SHO, Jakkanpur
Trigger
Resignation of BJP MLA Nitin Nabin to Rajya Sabha

Quotes

Ram Kripal Yadav

Bihar Cooperative Minister

“I have been camping here for the past few hours, and the police is unable to divulge whereabouts of more than 16 of my supporters who have been rounded up.”
NDTV deccanchronicle.com
“They were so‑called arrested, though technically, no formal arrest was recorded on paper; they were detained and held at various police stations.”
thestatesman.com

Sources

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