Kishor alleges police bias in Bankipur, demands SSP's removal from counting

Patna, August 2: A day before the counting of votes for the Bankipur Assembly byelection, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor accused Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikey Kumar Sharma of influencing the election by arresting JSP workers. Mr. Kishor, who is making his electoral debut in this byelection, presented residents who claimed they were detained from their homes on the night of July 30.

The SSP had earlier said that outsiders were being arrested to prevent disturbances under Section 144. However, Mr. Kishor argued that most of the 54 people taken into custody were local residents of Patna. He alleged that police raided homes in several wards of the constituency, including Ward 22, Ward 26, and Ward 38.

Naval Kishore Gupta, a resident of Mandiri area (Ward 26), said he and his wife were asleep when police banged on their door. “I was told a senior officer wanted to see me. I have no criminal cases and run a bakery. They put me in a jeep and later detained me at Rajiv Nagar police station,” he said. Mr. Gupta added that he was taken to a polling booth at Hathua School at 5 p.m. only after he complained about being denied the right to vote.

Nibha Bhushan, a resident of Ward 22, said she accompanied her sister to a polling booth and returned to find BJP supporters inside her home. She said an official told her she would face trouble if she was not a local. “No police personnel should have entered a citizen’s home. This shows we are living in a state of anarchy,” she said.

Another resident, Sunil Chandravanshi of Ward 38, claimed police picked him up three times. He said an assistant sub-inspector took him for a two-hour drive, later detained him at a police station, and the City SP also visited his house.

Addressing reporters, Mr. Kishor questioned the authority under which police arrested people from their homes. He noted that some were released only after being taken to vote shortly before polling ended. “The SSP claims they were arresting outsiders for violating Section 144. Let them explain how a person sleeping at night was violating Section 144,” he said.

Mr. Kishor also accused the SSP of acting on the orders of the BJP. He claimed that in Ward 22, BJP supporters barged into a Deputy Collector’s house and intimidated people. He pointed out that the same SSP had earlier dismissed a rape and murder case involving a NEET aspirant as suicide, a statement that had drawn criticism.

“While police have raided homes of Jan Suraaj supporters three times, the SSP issued press releases claiming they were arresting outsiders. Out of 54 arrested, how many were BJP members? None,” Mr. Kishor said. He added that such misuse of administration was not seen even during Nitish Kumar’s 20-year tenure.

Mr. Kishor said the Election Commission had assured him that the SSP would not be present during the counting on August 3. The JSP has demanded a thorough inquiry into the arrests. The police have not yet responded to the allegations.