Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Tuesday, 25 August launched a sharp attack on the state government over police use of lathi-charges against protesting students in Patna, accusing the administration of adopting an authoritarian posture toward the youth.

What Tejashwi Yadav Said

In a post on social media, Yadav invoked the Hindi proverb 'Chor Chori Se Jaye, Par Sinajori Se Na Jaye' — loosely meaning a thief may abandon theft but never his brazenness — to target the Samrat Choudhary-led government. He alleged that while criticism and opposition pressure may have forced the administration to pull back from deploying firearms, it had continued to rely on baton charges to disperse demonstrators.

Yadav contended that students raising legitimate demands — transparency in examinations, employment opportunities, and improvements in the education system — were being met with force rather than dialogue. He alleged that the government had directed police to crack down on peaceful protests and described the administration's posture toward the student movement as 'dictatorial.'

What Happened on the Ground

The remarks followed a tense day of student demonstrations in Patna, during which protesters attempting to march toward Lok Bhavan were met with police barricades. Authorities reportedly deployed water cannons and carried out lathi-charges to disperse the crowd. Several protesters were detained, according to reports. The precise sequence of events and the circumstances surrounding the police action remain subject to the official account and any subsequent inquiry.

The Political Charge

Yadav asserted that Bihar's youth would not be intimidated by police action and accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of attempting to suppress the student movement through what he described as 'money and machinery.' He urged the government to engage student representatives through structured dialogue and take their demands seriously.

Notably, Yadav also alleged that the administration had faced criticism in the past over the use of firearms during protests, and suggested that even under that pressure, baton charges had not been abandoned as a tool of crowd control. His remarks are political claims reflecting his opposition to the state government; they have not been independently verified, and the authorities' account of the situation is awaited.

Broader Context

Student agitations over examination irregularities and unemployment have recurred across Bihar in recent years, placing the state government under periodic pressure. This is not the first time the opposition has accused the administration of heavy-handed policing during such demonstrations. The pattern of protest, crackdown, and political counter-charge has become a familiar cycle, with the underlying demands around jobs and examination transparency remaining unresolved.

Whether the government will open formal dialogue with student representatives, as Yadav has demanded, is expected to shape the next phase of the standoff.