Prashant Kishor Imprisoned Without Proper Custody Documents, Claims His Attorney

Patna, Jan 10 (NationPress) The situation regarding the detention and subsequent attempted imprisonment of Jan Suraaj Party President Prashant Kishor by the Patna police has faced severe backlash from his lawyer, Amit Kumar.

He accused the Patna police of trying to transfer Kishor to Beur Jail on January 6 without adequate custody documentation.

Kumar stated that the Jail Superintendent refused to accept Kishor without the essential custody papers.

"It was surprising that when Prashant Kishor was taken out of the court premises and taken to Beur Jail, the hearing was still ongoing inside the court. They wanted to take Prashant Kishor to Beur Jail without custody papers. The Jail Superintendent refused to keep him inside without custody papers," Kumar remarked.

Kumar also expressed concerns regarding the legal sections under which the case was filed.

He pointed out that Sections 190, 191(2), 191(3), and 223 -- under which Kishor has been implicated -- are all bailable offences.

He specifically criticized the application of Section 191(3), which relates to rioting or possessing a weapon.

"There was not even a stick in the hands of any child. If Bihar Police considers blankets and mufflers as weapons, then Bihar Police is amazing. This was a Satyagraha; how did it become a riot?" Kumar questioned.

The advocate emphasized the stipulations outlined in Prashant Kishor's bailable personal recognisance bond.

The first stipulation was that Kishor was an accused in the case, the second was that he was being released on bail by the court.

The third condition was that Kishor must cooperate with the police and appear in court if the trial progresses, and the fourth was that a penalty of Rs 25,000 would be imposed if he failed to appear or cooperate.

Kumar also questioned why Kishor, despite the FIR being filed at the Gandhi Maidan police station, was taken straight to Beur Jail.

He argued that during a peaceful assembly, when the crowd became unmanageable, Kishor was given a microphone to address them -- a move that led to another FIR being filed.

"Why does the police not tell us by which authority they took him to Beur Jail? We were not given any papers by the police. The police have just made us a scapegoat of lies," Kumar asserted.

The treatment of Prashant Kishor by the Patna police has ignited considerable controversy, with accusations of procedural breaches and heavy-handedness.

Retired IPS officer and Jan Suraaj Party leader Anand Mishra, alongside party spokesperson Kishore Kumar Munna, have raised serious concerns about the actions of the Bihar Police.

Anand Mishra condemned the unprofessional conduct of the police, alleging that the officers involved did not wear proper uniforms or display identification.

He voiced concerns over the lack of transparency, stating: "No one knew where they were taking Prashant Kishor. Then I went behind and saw that no police officer had a nameplate on his uniform, no rank, and no one was even wearing a cap. Who knows, there might be impostors in the name of Bihar Police? No one even revealed his identity. Such behaviour does not happen even with a terrorist."

Mishra further urged Bihar's Director General of Police (DGP) to comply with the DK Basu guidelines, issued by the Supreme Court, which stipulate that police officers must disclose their identity during detentions.

He added: "When I reminded them (police) of the guidelines, they only then disclosed their rank. This was completely illegal detention."

Party spokesperson Kishore Kumar Munna alleged that Kishor was forcibly taken by the police at 4 a.m. without adequate documentation.

He mentioned that Kishor was taken to AIIMS, where the administration and doctors were pressured to admit him.

However, the AIIMS administration declined, citing the absence of necessary paperwork.

The incident escalated as Prashant Kishor, who has been on a hunger strike since January 2, was later admitted to the ICU ward at Medanta Hospital in Patna due to his deteriorating health.

Thursday marks the eighth day of Kishor's hunger strike.