BJP team meets injured workers in Patna, seeks judicial inquiry into police action

A four-member fact-finding team met several party activists.

The BJP on Saturday asserted that the “state-sponsored and brutal” police action on its procession in the Bihar capital earlier this week warranted a judicial inquiry and intervention of the National Human Rights Commission.

A four-member fact-finding team constituted by BJP national president J.P. Nadda stated this here, as it met several party activists, who sustained injuries in the police action on June 13 and are undergoing treatment at hospitals.

The team members also include former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das and Members of Parliament Manoj Tiwari, Sunita Duggal and Vishnu Dayal Ram.

Ms. Duggal alleged that women BJP workers were “hit with lathis on their chests and heads by male police personnel” on Thursday when the party was staging a “Vidhan Sabha march” in protest against the Nitish Kumar government’s teacher recruitment policy.

Mr. Tiwari, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Delhi, but has his roots in Bihar, claimed “771 BJP workers” were injured in the incident and “some of them were chased all the way to hospitals and thrashed inside the premises”.

The team members alleged that the incident reminded them of “Jallianwala Bagh massacre” and wondered whether “hired goons were donning police uniforms”.

“We will submit a report on our investigation to the national president and strongly recommend a judicial inquiry,” said the panel members, who replied in the affirmative when asked whether they would also approach the NHRC with the request to look into the matter.