Bihar Special Armed Police Bill draconian, says Tejashwi a day after House ruckus

The Bihar Special Armed Police Bill-2021, which the Opposition alleges gives special powers to the police to search and arrest anyone without obtaining a court warrant, was passed by the Assembly on Tuesday (March 23) amid uproarious scenes and violence.

Security personnel dragged Opposition MLAs and manhandled them during a protest against the Bill. “The draconian Act which will give absolute powers to police, so that it can act as veritable arm of Nitish’s dictatorial politics, has been passed in police protection by throwing out battered MLAs using police,” tweeted Tejashwi Yadav, RJD leader.

“My fellow MLA, Satish Das, who belongs to a poor family, became a victim of hooliganism of Nitish Kumar. He suffered a head injury. The picture is proof,” Tejashwi tweeted in Hindi.

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The uproar erupted as the government tabled the Bill. The Opposition alleged that the Bill gives powers to the police to arrest anyone and search the premises of anyone without obtaining a court warrant. The opposition legislators clashed with security personnel who tried to stop them from creating a ruckus against the Bill. Scores of Rapid Action Force personnel were also called in to remove around 100 opposition MLAs.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while speaking to the media in his assembly chamber denied that the Bill was draconian. He said the Bill was meant to rename the Bihar Military Police and that no special powers have been given to the police.

“The opposition MLAs have not gone through the Bill”, said the CM, adding it was brought to convert the Bihar Military Police into Special Armed Police without any extra powers.

The Opposition protest took an ugly turn when some MLAs tried to snatch the copy of the Bill from the Speaker. The House was adjourned five times.

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Earlier on March 23, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took out a protest march against the Bill. The police allegedly lathi-charged the protesters who broke the police barricades and allegedly threw stones at the policemen.