Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav was detained on Wednesday during a protest against the Bihar Police firing an AK-47 rifle while dispersing youth demonstrating over the alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, PTI reported.

His sister and RJD MP Misa Bharti was also detained later while participating in her party’s march to the governor’s residence against the police action during the demonstrations last month, ANI reported.

On July 25, three persons were injured in police firing during a demonstration in Siwan district after protesters allegedly threw stones at security personnel.

The police had also opened fire during violent protests in Jehanabad on July 23.

The demonstrations were held in solidarity with a youth agitation in Delhi that demanded the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union education minister at the time. Pradhan resigned on July 25.

The Bihar government told the Supreme Court that a constable had fired four shots into the air from his AK-47 rifle after getting “trapped” in a crowd protesting against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations on July 25 in Siwan district.

No one was injured by the bullets fired from the AK-47, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government said in an affidavit filed on August 11 in response to petitions alleging excessive use of force against protesters.

While being detained on Wednesday, Yadav said that Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary was doing injustice to students and accused him of “committing scam after scam”, PTI reported.

“He is using AK-47s against those raising their voices against wrongdoing,” he said.

Yadav also accused the BJP-led government in the state of turning Bihar into a centre of unemployment and paper leaks and said it was “playing with the future of the students”.

“This government…which uses AK-47…students are going to throw it away,” PTI quoted him as saying.

Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.

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