In Wild Wild Bihar, kids fight for justice
PATNA: In the land of the Buddha, a strange drama is being played out. While five school children have gone missing, presumed kidnapped, in nine days, the keepers of the state are busy settling political scores with eye on forthcoming polls.
The inertia of the government has spurred protests by school children, with the hope that kid power would do what the law enforcement hasn't.
On Friday, braving cold rains students in Patna gheraoed the Governor's residence, Raj Bhavan. Since January 21, over 18,000 students have stopped going to school and have protested the kidnapping of school students. Many have held symbolic 12-hour "fasts" and conducted mass prayers.
Railway traffic has also been crippled at places as the masses have started rallying behind the kids. ABVP, the youth wing of BJP, staged protests at Bhagalpur, stopping trains.
On Thursday, hundreds of women, many of them mothers of school children, joined the agitation. They held prayers in Patna, Biharsharif and Bhagalpur.
Meanwhile, the Neros of Bihar have hinted political conspiracy. RJD chief Lalu Yadav called the abductions 'stage-managed'.
With the kidnapping of a schoolgirl, Anjali Kumari, in Hajipur on Thursday, the number of students kidnapped in the state, has reached five in nine days.
Ravikant, a student of the DAV public school, was kidnapped from Biharsharif town in Nalanda district on January 24, barely five days after the abduction of Kislay Komal, a student of Delhi Public School on January 19 in Patna.
Even as the protests continued against their kidnapping, another student of the DAV public school, Bhagalpur, Dipak Kumar, went missing the next day on January 25.
Ranjan Kumar, a Class X student was reportedly abducted in Danapur on January 26.
There is still no clue of the Delhi Public School student, Kislay Komal abducted in Patna on January 19.
Most city students are already skipping lunch since the abduction of Kislay as a mark of protest. A group of 15 students are carrying on a relay fast at the office of 'Oxygen', a social organisation in Patna.
Bihar Public School Association, an umbrella group of private schools in Bihar, is actively supporting the children who had also boycotted the Republic Day celebrations as a mark of protest. They formed human chains along city roads on Republic Day.
Meanwhile, with Bihar Assembly polls scheduled to be held on February, political parties are striving hard to exploit the anti-government sentiments of the people and gain political mileage.
Directly attacking the state govrnment, former Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee, addressing an election rally at Bhagalpur said, " Apaharan ke dhandhe ko bandh karne ke liye, Bihar sarkar ke dhandhe ko bandh karna hoga ."
"I want Kislay back. I want my son back," Vajpayee said.
Launching a counter-attack on Vajpayee, Lalu said, "If Kislay is his son, so were the hundreds of children in Gujarat who lost their lives and parents in the communal violence. Why did not Vajpayee speak out then?"
The RJD chief also hinted at a political conspiracy saying, "Politics ho raha hain ".
Bihar CM Rabri Devi and Lalu have been saying that the abductions are being engineered by political opponents.
"There is a well-hatched conspiracy to defame us (the RJD) and our government as opposition is indulging in dirty politics by stage-managing abduction cases," Lalu said.
Both JD(U) and BJP leaders too criticised the series of abductions. "Why can’t Laluji check abductions when he can check communal violence? Do abductions help him politically?" asked Nitish Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1003448.cms
PATNA: In the land of the Buddha, a strange drama is being played out. While five school children have gone missing, presumed kidnapped, in nine days, the keepers of the state are busy settling political scores with eye on forthcoming polls.
The inertia of the government has spurred protests by school children, with the hope that kid power would do what the law enforcement hasn't.
On Friday, braving cold rains students in Patna gheraoed the Governor's residence, Raj Bhavan. Since January 21, over 18,000 students have stopped going to school and have protested the kidnapping of school students. Many have held symbolic 12-hour "fasts" and conducted mass prayers.
Railway traffic has also been crippled at places as the masses have started rallying behind the kids. ABVP, the youth wing of BJP, staged protests at Bhagalpur, stopping trains.
On Thursday, hundreds of women, many of them mothers of school children, joined the agitation. They held prayers in Patna, Biharsharif and Bhagalpur.
Meanwhile, the Neros of Bihar have hinted political conspiracy. RJD chief Lalu Yadav called the abductions 'stage-managed'.
With the kidnapping of a schoolgirl, Anjali Kumari, in Hajipur on Thursday, the number of students kidnapped in the state, has reached five in nine days.
Ravikant, a student of the DAV public school, was kidnapped from Biharsharif town in Nalanda district on January 24, barely five days after the abduction of Kislay Komal, a student of Delhi Public School on January 19 in Patna.
Even as the protests continued against their kidnapping, another student of the DAV public school, Bhagalpur, Dipak Kumar, went missing the next day on January 25.
Ranjan Kumar, a Class X student was reportedly abducted in Danapur on January 26.
There is still no clue of the Delhi Public School student, Kislay Komal abducted in Patna on January 19.
Most city students are already skipping lunch since the abduction of Kislay as a mark of protest. A group of 15 students are carrying on a relay fast at the office of 'Oxygen', a social organisation in Patna.
Bihar Public School Association, an umbrella group of private schools in Bihar, is actively supporting the children who had also boycotted the Republic Day celebrations as a mark of protest. They formed human chains along city roads on Republic Day.
Meanwhile, with Bihar Assembly polls scheduled to be held on February, political parties are striving hard to exploit the anti-government sentiments of the people and gain political mileage.
Directly attacking the state govrnment, former Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee, addressing an election rally at Bhagalpur said, " Apaharan ke dhandhe ko bandh karne ke liye, Bihar sarkar ke dhandhe ko bandh karna hoga ."
"I want Kislay back. I want my son back," Vajpayee said.
Launching a counter-attack on Vajpayee, Lalu said, "If Kislay is his son, so were the hundreds of children in Gujarat who lost their lives and parents in the communal violence. Why did not Vajpayee speak out then?"
The RJD chief also hinted at a political conspiracy saying, "Politics ho raha hain ".
Bihar CM Rabri Devi and Lalu have been saying that the abductions are being engineered by political opponents.
"There is a well-hatched conspiracy to defame us (the RJD) and our government as opposition is indulging in dirty politics by stage-managing abduction cases," Lalu said.
Both JD(U) and BJP leaders too criticised the series of abductions. "Why can’t Laluji check abductions when he can check communal violence? Do abductions help him politically?" asked Nitish Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1003448.cms
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