Dalit villagers attack Nitish’s convoy in Buxar, CM escapes unhurt in stone pelting

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar escaped unhurt on January 12 when irate villagers of a Dalit hamlet in Buxar district started pelting stones on his convoy, leaving about a dozen police personnel injured and half a dozen vehicles damaged.
Over 500 villagers of Nandan panchayat were insisting that the chief minister, who went there to take stock of the progress of development schemes as part of his ongoing Sameeksha Yatra, should also carry out a door-to-door inspection in their hamlet for a reality check.
The villagers were angry over the non-availability of basic amenities and alleged that no work had been done under the seven resolves for governance launched by the government in 2015 that promised piped drinking water, pucca internal roads, drains, among others, to alleviate their awful living conditions.
As soon as the chief minister returned to his convoy, to embark on his onward journey to address a scheduled public meeting in Dumraon block of the district, the crowd got restless and squatted before the convoy.
Police personnel resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the squatters. In retaliation, some unscrupulous element resorted to stone pelting. In the melee, several police personnel suffered minor injuries. Around half a dozen vehicles also got damaged.
The accompanying officials had a hard time in escorting the chief minister to safety. Kumar, who remained unhurt, was taken to Haryana farm, two kilometers away from the incident site, where he addressed a public meeting.
In his speech, Kumar referring to the incident hinted that it could have been instigated by some vested interests averse to his government. “I am not the one to get cowed down by these things and confine myself in state headquarters,” he said.
“Rather, I will continue visiting places to have a firsthand feel of the progress made so far to ensure real time monitoring. Persons involved in the incident will be identified and due action will be initiated against them,” the chief minister said.
Buxar district magistrate Arvind Kumar Verma said that stringent actions would be taken against those who took law into their hands. “Named and unnamed FIRs are being lodged and action would be initiated immediately,”

- Advertisement -