A video showing an official in Patna, beating up a man who was protesting with a Tricolour in hand seeking a government teacher’s job, went viral on social media on Monday. The Opposition BJP slammed the government over the incident while the Patna District Magistrate ordered inquiry.
Hundreds of aspiring teachers who had cleared the recruitment exam held in 2020 were protesting against the delay in their appointment and had marched to the Raj Bhawan on Monday. They came up against a team of police personnel led by an Additional District Magistrate (ADM) who baton-charged them at Patna’s Dak Bungalow thoroughfare. As many as 28 protesters were injured with five-six of them being admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).
The video that later went viral on social media showed the ADM-ranking official thrashing one of the protesters brutally with a baton. The protester fell to the road and tried to cover himself from the blows using the Tricolour. The official continued to hit him after dragging him into the middle of a crowd including policemen and the media persons. Later, the police were also seen using water cannons to disperse the protesters.
“It’s already been three years since we cleared the exam for teachers’ post. It was held online in September 2020 and since then we’ve been waiting for our appointment. And today, before the new government, we’re marching to the Raj Bhawan against the delay in our appointment. But, the police rained blows on us”, said protesters who also raised anti-government slogans during their protest march.
Later, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav took cognizance of the incident and spoke to the Patna District Magistrate. The Patna District Magistrate, thereafter, ordered an inquiry into the incident and has sought report in two-day time.
Meanwhile, condemning the incident, the Bihar unit of the BJP tweeted the video and asked, “Has the government gone blind that it is raining blows on the Tricolour?”
