As Khan Sir vs Roshan Sir row gets communal colour, Bihar politicians jump in

The already-murky Khan Sir-versus-Roshan Sir Patna coaching centre feud has received a fresh dose of muck with the entry of political parties into the scene. It's no longer just a case of business rivalry; it has now graduated into a Hindu-versus-Muslim battle.

Since the firing outside Faizal Khan’s (Khan Sir) coaching centre, Khan Global Studies (KGS), at Patna’s Musallahpur Hat on the night of June 2, claims and counter-claims have flown thick and fast between him and his rival Roshan Anand (Roshan Sir).

As the educators jostle for their share of the Patna coaching-business pie worth hundreds of crores, the legal battle has spilled over to the streets in the form of protests by their students and others.

Also read: From Patna firing to Nepal death: The murky Khan Sir vs Roshan Sir rivalry

However, adding a new twist to the fiasco, Roshan’s brother Prince Yadav, another accused in the firing incident, was found dead in a hotel room in Nepal’s Viratnagar on Monday (June 15). This unexpected development brought politicians into the arena, with the entire incident now assuming a political colour.

‘Pak link’, other allegations

Prominent among the political players is former Bihar minister and BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Bablu, who quickly claimed that Khan has a “Pakistan connection”. While the Nepal Police are yet to conclude the cause of Prince Yadav’s death, Bablu declared that Prince was murdered. He also sniffed a big conspiracy and demanded a high-level probe into it.

“Faizal Khan (Khan Sir) is a fraud. He has come from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar to cheat students. He might have connections with Pakistan and Nepal. This should be investigated by the agencies concerned,” the BJP leader stated publicly.

Clearly taking the side of Roshan, Bablu said that he had been working in the noble profession of teaching but was arrested for the firing at Khan’s coaching centre, which should be investigated in-depth. Bablu’s support came a day after Roshan proclaimed loudly in public that he is “a Sanatani Hindu” and his religion “does not teach anyone to kill”.

Also read: Khan Sir conspired Prince Yadav’s murder, alleges Roshan Sir after bail release

On Monday, after being released on bail, Roshan directly accused Khan of hatching a conspiracy to kill his brother. Again, on Wednesday (June 17), his lawyer Niranjan Kumar Singh said he would file a murder case against Khan in connection with Prince’s death and also seek a CBI probe into it.

Different parties, different claims

This BJP leader is not alone. Several ruling NDA and Opposition leaders, including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha, Bihar minister Ram Kripal Yadav, Independent MP Pappu Yadav, and former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, have jumped on the bandwagon.

While Tejashwi, who is Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, demanded a CBI probe into the entire fiasco, Ram Kripal on Tuesday said the controversy is sullying the noble profession of teaching, and urged Tejashwi in particular to not play politics. “Tejasjwi Yadav should not make it his political battlefield,” he declared.

Tejashwi, in a letter to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, said on Monday that a CBI probe should be recommended to reveal the truth. “Only a fair and impartial investigation into the death of Roshan’s brother will make things clear,” he claimed.

Jha asserted that Prince’s death was sad but the Bihar government would not spare anyone found guilty of any foul play.

Also read: Khan Sir moves Patna HC to quash FIR, seeks reopening of coaching institute

Jan Shakti Dal supremo and Tejashwi’s elder brother Tej Pratap, on the other hand, claimed that Khan should be arrested because “he conspired to murder Prince”. Pappu Yadav has also alleged that Prince was murdered.

The usual Bihar politics

A Patna-based political analyst said Bihar’s caste- and community-riddled political equations are forcing politicians to play their usual game. “As Roshan belong to the powerful OBC Yadav caste, considered loyal to the RJD, it is natural for Tejashwi to demand a CBI probe. Others are trying to play the Yadav card, as well as the Yadav-versus-Muslim card. The attempt is to portray Khan Sir as just a Muslim and Roshan Sir as just a Hindu,” the analyst, who did not wish to be named, told The Federal.

What could pose a 'hurdle' to the politicians, however, is the fact that Khan is revered by an overwhelming majority of Hindu students, who form roughly 80 per cent of his student population. They are seen expressing respect for “Khan Sir”, refusing to reduce him to "a Muslim".

Himanshu Kumar, one of his students who cracked the Bihar police exam this year, told The Federal that Khan is their favourite teacher. “We are not interested in his caste and religion. What matter for us are his cost-effective courses that are a big gift to students like us who belong to poor families,” he added.

The Sir vs Sir case

To briefly recapitulate the case, after the firing at his coaching centre on June 2 night, Khan accused Roshan of orchestrating the attack. Roshan, who has run Gyan Bindu, another popular coaching centre in the same neighbourhood, for nearly a decade, was arrested and released on bail on Monday (June 15).

Also read: Patna Court stays arrest of 'Khan Sir' till further orders

However, police apparently found from the CCTV footage that Khan’s own security guards fired the shots. One of them allegedly told the police during interrogation that he had opened fire at Khan’s behest. Police arrested both guards, who are still in custody, and registered an FIR against Khan.

While Khan has received interim protection from arrest, the court also observed that the two teachers must engage in healthy competition rather than resort to criminal activities.

CM’s warning

Amid the fiasco, Chief Minister Choudhary has stated that the state government will upgrade teaching standards in government-run schools, which will eventually lead to the closure of their the coaching centres' businesses.

In the past two decades, Patna has emerged as a hub of commercial coaching. Notable among these private tutors is Anand Kumar of Super 30 fame.

Patna’s congested lanes, particularly in the oldest coaching zone of Musallahpur Hat, are known for dozens of different “Sirs”. The students are mostly government job aspirants. Even the adjoining residential buildings have been converted into cheap rented accommodation for these job aspirants.