'Brutal lathi charge' at assembly march killed Bihar leader, claims BJP

Patna: A controversy has erupted over the over the death of a Bihar BJP leader following a police lathi charge during the party's assembly march here on Thursday. 

The saffron party alleged that its Jehanabad district general secretary succumbed to injuries suffered in a "brutal" lathi charge by the police, prompting the local administration to issue a quick rebuttal.

In a statement, the district administration in Patna said Vijay Kumar Singh, a resident of Jehanabad district, was "found unconscious by the roadside".

"No injury marks have been found on his body," said the statement adding that Singh has been taken to PMCH, the state's largest government hospital.

Nonetheless, rumours were aflutter that Singh, who had come here to join the "Vidhan Sabha march" against the Nitish Kumar government's teacher recruitment policy, had died.

"Arrested by Bihar police in Patna, Jehanabad dist GS Vijay Kumar Singh died in brutal police lathi charge", senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted. 

BJP president JP Nadda claimed in a tweet that the lathi charge on BJP workers in Patna is the result of the failure and indignation of the state government.

The Grand Alliance government is attacking democracy to save the citadel of corruption. To save the person who has been charge-sheeted, the chief minister of Bihar has even forgotten his morality, he said.

Without naming Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Nadda was referring to the RJD leader against whom the CBI has filed a charge sheet in the land for jobs scam.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan wondered if Bihar is currently under an undeclared emergency.

He tweeted: In the arrogance of power, the chief minister's police took the life of an unarmed BJP worker fighting for the rights and rights of Biharis... if this is not an undeclared emergency in Bihar then what else is?

Paswan last week dropped hints of joining the BJP-led NDA for which he had campaigned in the recent by-polls in Bihar.