AISA threatens Bihar Bandh on July 30 over detained students

AISA president Neha Bora warned that the organisation would call a statewide Bihar Bandh on July 30 if detained students and protest leaders are not released by July 29. She also demanded an inquiry into the AK-47 firing incident during the protests.

Patna: All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora on Monday warned the Bihar government that the organisation would call a statewide Bihar Bandh on July 30 if students and protest leaders arrested during the recent demonstrations were not released by July 29.

The announcement came after Bora visited Beur Central Jail in Patna, where she met detained student leaders and political activists.

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Following the visit, she addressed a press conference and issued an ultimatum to the government, demanding the release of all those arrested during the protests.

“We have met AISA Bihar president Dhananjay Kumar, JJD national president Tej Pratap Yadav, CPI-ML MLA Sandeep Saurav from Paliganj and several student leaders from Patna University. They have alleged that they were falsely implicated as part of a political vendetta,” Bora said.

According to Bora, the detained students alleged that they were mistreated during the police action carried out to disperse the protests.

She said AISA would continue its campaign for students’ rights and warned that if the detainees were not released by the deadline, the organisation would launch a statewide agitation on July 30.

“We have applied pressure on the Centre and forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as Union Education Minister. However, our campaign will not be complete as long as even a single student remains in jail,” she said.

Neha Bora also condemned the AK-47 firing incident during the student protests in Siwan district and demanded accountability at the highest level.

“I demand the constitution of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the incident and the removal of the senior officers responsible for ordering the AK-47 firing. They should be removed from service,” she said.

Her remarks come amid continuing political controversy over the incident, which has already led to the suspension of a police constable and the initiation of a departmental inquiry.

During her visit, Bora also met officials at Beur Central Jail.

According to her, jail authorities assured her that the detained students and other inmates would receive all necessary facilities and would not face any inconvenience while in custody.

However, Bora declined to comment on allegations of attacks on media personnel during the protests.

Student leader Ajit Kushwaha, meanwhile, condemned the reported assault on journalists and stressed that media freedom must be respected, urging all parties to ensure that journalists can carry out their work without intimidation or violence.