Hundreds of students and youths under the banner of All India Students Association (AISA) and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) had a scuffle with police at Patna's main centre, Dak Bungalow roundabout, on Tuesday afternoon.
The scuffle broke out after the students were stopped by the police during a protest march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
AISA serves as the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, while RYA is the party's youth wing.
The situation is tense, with police trying to stop the protestors from moving towards Lok Bhawan amid heavy deployment of police personnel, reports said. The protestors continue to block the Dak Bungalow roundabout, leading to heavy jams on arterial roads in central Patna.
Police had already detained two dozen protesters soon after the protest march began at J P roundabout near historic Gandhi Maidan, just before noon. Later, police and protesters scuffled at the Dak Bungalow roundabout after AISA-RYA activists were stopped from heading toward Bihar's Lok Bhawan.
A large number of student agitators jumped over the barricades near JP Golamber and marched towards the Dak Bungalow.
CPI ML MLA from Paliganj, Sandeep Saurav, who was present at the start of the march from gate number 10 of Gandhi Maidan, told reporters that a crisis has struck the country's democracy.
"This is not just an allegation by the opposition, but there have also been several revelations. Despite the differences between the CEC and the two election commissioners, the entire SIR process was carried out. We want the resignation of the CEC," Saurav said.
He also accused the CEC of acting on behalf of the BJP and centralising the entire data uploading on ECINet by taking away the powers of local election officials.
Patna district administration has designated Gardanibagh as stir venue
Meanwhile, the Patna district administration has designated Gardanibagh as the venue for the rally and demonstration, making it clear that any demonstration elsewhere will be subject to legal action.
Patna DM Kundan Kumar and SSP Kartikey K Sharma issued instructions that the designated site located in Gardanibagh shall be used exclusively for demonstrations and strikes. No permission is granted for demonstrations or strikes at locations other than the designated site.
“The provision of facilities for the general public, smooth traffic and maintaining law and order are the highest priorities of the district administration. Demonstrations and agitations at locations beyond the designated sites disrupt the city's traffic system, causing unnecessary inconvenience to the general public. Such demonstrations negatively impact the operations of various important institutions, including schools, colleges, hospitals, and courts," the DM said.
"Furthermore, people associated with commerce and business in the district also face difficulties, and their commercial activities are also affected, which hinders the daily lives and business-related activities of ordinary citizens,” the officer added.
The DM further said that in such situations, there are severe difficulties in the uninterrupted movement of the elderly, sick individuals, schoolchildren, and other emergency services such as ambulances.