Patna, Oct 13 (IANS): A tense standoff broke out between police and All India Students Association (AISA) activists at JP Golambar in Patna on Tuesday during a protest against the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police detained several demonstrators as they attempted to proceed with their protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The situation became contentious as protesters alleged that police personnel dragged some students along the road and mistreated them during detention.
Demonstrators also claimed that some mobile phones were damaged or went missing. The police had not issued an official response to these allegations at the time of reporting.
The incident took an unusual turn when questions arose over the key to a police Vajra vehicle, used for riot control and transporting detained protesters.
According to reports from the scene, around 10 to 15 students were initially placed inside the vehicle before police began preparations to transfer them to another bus.
During the transfer, speculation emerged about who had the vehicle’s key and where it had gone. Some reports suggested that students had fled with it, but the claim remained unverified, with no official confirmation identifying who took the key or establishing its whereabouts.
The protesters maintained that they had been locked inside the vehicle and questioned how they could have known where the key was.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remained unclear.
Detained protesters continued to raise slogans against the Central Government and the Election Commission.
AISA member Rikki Khan alleged that the government was attempting to silence dissent through detentions.
He said the organisation would continue its campaign against the SIR process and what it described as irregularities in the electoral rolls.
At JP Golambar, police personnel formed a cordon around the detained protesters as preparations were made to move them from the Vajra vehicle to another bus.
The transfer took place amid continued tension between the demonstrators and the police.
AISA activists said the detentions and police action would not deter their movement.
(IANS)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
