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Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who was sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, was arrested by the Bihar police on Monday morning. Mr Kishor was "forcibly" taken to AIIMS in an ambulance and has been isolated from everyone, sources said.
Mr Kishor has reportedly refused treatment and will continue his fast unto death.
"Prashant Kishore of Jan Suraaj Party and some other people were illegally protesting in front of the Gandhi statue in the restricted area of Gandhi Maidan for their five-point demands. An FIR was lodged at Gandhi Maidan police station for illegally protesting in the restricted area. Despite repeated requests and giving sufficient time, the place was not vacated," Senior Superintendent of Police Awakash Kumar told news agency IANS.
"Today, on January 6, he has been arrested along with some supporters in the morning. They are completely healthy. Action is being taken to present them before the court as per the prescribed procedure," SSP Kumar added.
In a video shared by the news agency ANI, a large team of Patna police can be seen trying to remove Mr Kishor from the protest site with his fellow protesters trying to hold him. The police also removed other demonstrators from the site.
#WATCH | BPSC protest | Bihar: Patna Police detains Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor who was sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at Gandhi Maidan pic.twitter.com/cOnoM7EGW1
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2025
Mr Kishor, who was an election strategist before he plunged into politics full-time, has been on an indefinite strike since January 2 in support of the protesting students to press the demand for the cancellation of the integrated 70th combined (preliminary) competitive test conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). The students are demanding the cancellation of the exam due to an alleged paper leak.
The BPSC exam was held on December 13.
The protest site - Gandhi Maidan - is a couple of kilometers from the spot where several candidates have been on a round-the-clock protest for over two weeks.
"I am with these students with all my might... Till this issue is resolved, I'll be sitting on a fast-unto death. The candidates are protesting in biting cold, braving baton charge by police and water cannons. The Chief Minister is away in Delhi, and having a good time. He did not utter a single word when reporters in the national capital approached him with queries on the stir," the Jan Suraaj party chief had said.
Earlier, Mr Kishor said that his party would file a petition in the Patna High Court on January 7 regarding the irregularities in the BPSC examination.
"It is not a matter of decision for us whether we will continue this (protest) or not. We will continue doing what we are doing now, there will be no change in it...We (Jan Suraaj Party) will file a petition in the High Court on the 7th," he said.
'Vanity Van' controversy
A controversy erupted on Saturday over a 'vanity van', reportedly with many luxury facilities, parked close to Mr Kishor's protest site. The Jan Suraaj party chief's rivals pointed at the plush vehicle and questioned him if he was sincere in his protest.
However, Mr Kishor shot back at them, saying that he needed the van to "avoid the press and rivals from making false allegations of breaking the hunger strike if he went home to use the washroom, as they could say he had gone to eat meals".
"If I don't go to the bus, people ask if others use the van. Well, if it's someone else's house, they can go, they're not on hunger strike, they can use the bathroom, they can go to the restroom. But I'm on a hunger strike, and if I go home to use the bathroom, journalists will say I went to eat or sleep," he said.
"Some even said the van costs Rs 4 crore, and rented at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. If that is so, give me that rent. I will use it. How foolish can people be?" Mr Kishor added.