Patna (Bihar): Amid the nationwide Bharat Bandh on Wednesday against the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding sub-categorization of quota, a policeman mistakenly lathicharged a sub-divisional magistrate in Bihar leaving the top civil officer infuriated.
As many as 21 Dalit and Adivasi organizations in the country have called for a Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court's decision on SC's verdict over SC-ST reservation. Sources said that during the demonstration at Dakbungla Square in Patna, there was a clash between Bihar Police and the protesters. As police resorted to lathicharge, an on-duty policeman beat the SDM much to the latter's rage. It is learnt that the SDM Shrikant Kundli Khandlekar got the beating by the policeman while he was also on duty to pacify the protesters.
The police lathicharged the protesters and also sprayed water from water cannons to disperse them.
As soon as the on-duty policeman beat the SDM with his stick, the senior police officers present there who recognized the SDM, immediately swung into action and stopped the policemen. But by then, he had already been hit with some lathis. Later the policeman and a police officer apologized to the SDM telling him that he had been beaten by mistake.
MH Khan, the local Magistrate while commenting on the incident said, “When the protesters tried to move forward by breaking the barricades at Dak Bungalow crossing, the police lathi-charged them. During this, five protesters were detained by the police. During the lathi-charge, Patna SDM Srikant Kundli Khandlekar also had to face it and he was also lathi-charged by the policemen," Khan said.
Groups of protesters reached Dak Bungalow crossing at different times through different routes to lodge a protest as part of the Bharat Bandh.
