Bihar Election 2020 | “Who asked you to be General Dyer?” Tejashwi Yadav, Chirag Paswan attack Nitish Kumar over Munger firing

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan attacked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the recent firing after clashes in Munger, one of the 71 constituencies going to polls in the first phase on October 28.

Both leaders likened the police action to that of General Dyer's firing at civilians during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab.

“I don’t know why police acted with such brutality. What was the chief minister doing? This double-engine government definitely had a role in it. We want to ask Deputy CM Sushil Modi who gave permission to become General Dyer? We want high court-monitored probe,” Tejashwi, the CM face of Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) said in a press conference in Patna as 71 assembly segments go to polls in the first phase.

An 18-year-old man was shot dead and many others injured in alleged police firing after clashes during the immersion of Goddess Durga in Munger on October 26.

Echoing Tejashwi’s sentiments, Paswan launched a similar attack on the Janata Dal (United) and CM Nitish Kumar.

"Who is responsible for the firing and lathi charge incident in Munger? The chief minister is now playing the role of General Dyer who ordered the Jallianwalah massacre. I am sure CM is responsible for the incident, an investigation should be done," said Paswan, who had earlier compared the incumbent government's rule to that of the ‘Taliban’.

On April 13, 1919, the then acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops of the British Army to fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, killing at least 379 people and injuring over 1,200.

The BJP is contesting the three-phase Bihar polls as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), along with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and other parties. The ruling coalition is challenged by the grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) comprising RJD, the Congress and the Left parties. Chirag Paswan’s LJP is contesting elections alone and has fielded candidates against the JD(U) and not against the BJP.

District officials in Munger have alleged that the devotees who were a part of the immersion procession opened fire at cops on October 26. Those who were present on the spot alleged that police thrashed devotees, which sparked off the clashes.

Tejashwi, former deputy CM of Bihar, demanded suspension of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and superintendent of police (SP) with immediate effect. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala was also present at the press conference.