Six-year-old boy begins sit-in in Patna, alleges parents were beaten by police

A six-year-old boy who joined a student protest in Patna on August 25 began a sit-in at Gardanibagh, alleging his parents were beaten by police while he was detained. Police denied the allegation, saying he was kept in custody for safety

Patna: A six-year-old boy who made headlines earlier this week for joining the student protest here, on Sunday initiated a sit-in at Gardanibagh area, alleging his parents were “beaten up by police while he was taken into custody”.

The boy had joined the protests led by Bihar Public Service Commission exam aspirants on August 25, during which they intended to gherao Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhury’s residence over a range of demands, including a single-tier test for Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4).

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“My parents were beaten up while I was kept separated from them in custody for eight hours. My parents are not criminals, so why did police beat them up?” Aditya on Sunday.

The police, however, had earlier said that the boy was handed over to his mother, who works as a house help, after being kept at a police station “for his own safety”. “We also advised the mother and her daily wage-earning husband to be more careful with their child who must not have been allowed to roam around when the area was beset with trouble,” said the official.

Urging people and politicians across party lines to support his protest, the boy said he would not budge from the site unless Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets him to address his grievances.

“We will definitely meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He holds roadshows during elections. Now, he should concede to our demand and meet us. We will continue sitting here in protest as long as it doesn’t happen,” the boy said.