Opposition's Grand Alliance's Bihar-shutdown today over Lathicharge on Upendra Kushwaha

The Opposition’s Grand Alliance, of which the RLSP is a part, slammed the Nitish Kumar government over the police action, as the coalition announced a state-wide bandh on February 4 in protest.

Bihar: Two days after RLSP Chief Upendra Kushwaha got injured in clashes with state police after being prevented from marching towards the Raj Bhawan to demand educational reforms in the state; his party has called a state-wide shutdown in the state over the same. The Opposition’s Grand Alliance, of which the RLSP is a part, slammed the Nitish Kumar government over the police action, as the coalition announced a state-wide bandh on February 4 in protest. Named 'Aakrosh' march, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) rally was organized on the occasion of the birth anniversary of late Jagdeo Prasad, the tallest leader of Bihar from the Kushwaha community, considered the party's primary support base. Armed with lathis (sticks) and raising slogans denouncing the state government for failing to do the needful on the party's charter of demands on educational reforms, the RLSP leaders came to blows with policemen at the Dak Bungalow crossing, about two kilometres from the Governor's residence. When the agitators tried to force their way past the police cordon, they were quelled with baton charge and water cannons. Kushwaha, who had received blows on his body, squatted on the roadside along with a number of supporters alleging that they had informed the police about their march. If we were not supposed to go beyond a certain point, we should have been informed beforehand. But the administration did nothing of that sort, he said. It remained indifferent when we began our march and came up with an abrupt order to halt when we reached Dak Bungalow crossing, he added.