Tejashwi Yadav accuses Bihar govt of ‘misusing’ police against RJD candidate

• Police visited RJD candidate Sanjeev Kumar’s residence late at night to verify the identities of people reportedly staying there after campaigning ended

• Tejashwi Yadav accused the Bihar government of using the police to intimidate opposition leaders ahead of polling

• Sanjeev Kumar’s supporters accused BJP candidate Naval Kishore Yadav of bringing fake voters to Patna, a claim that remains unverified

Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Friday alleged that the state government was using the police to harass opposition leaders and workers ahead of polling in the Bihar Legislative Council elections.

Yadav shared a video on social media reportedly showing a police team at the residence of Dr Sanjeev Kumar and his brother, Rajiv Kumar. Sanjeev Kumar is contesting from the Patna Teachers’ constituency as a candidate of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The video shows police personnel checking the identity documents of people gathered outside the residence. The situation became tense when the police attempted to enter the premises, with Sanjeev Kumar’s supporters questioning their authority and demanding to see the official authorisation for the search.

According to the footage, a police officer explained that the team had received information about outsiders staying at the residence after the permitted campaign period had ended. The officer said the police intended to verify the identities of those present and would leave if no irregularities were found.

The police visit, which reportedly took place around midnight, prompted a heated exchange between officers and the candidate’s supporters.

Reacting to the incident, Tejashwi Yadav accused the police of arriving without a search warrant and attempting to intimidate the RJD candidate and his supporters ahead of polling.

In his social media post, Yadav maintained that such actions would not weaken the party or discourage its leaders and workers. He asserted that neither RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav nor the party’s rank and file would be intimidated by what he described as the government’s pressure tactics.

Yadav also criticised the state leadership, accusing it of taking Bihar in the wrong direction. Questioning the timing of the police visit, he suggested that the action against the RJD candidate’s residence, shortly before polling, raised concerns about the use of state machinery during the election process.

The allegations made by Yadav reflect the political tensions surrounding the ongoing Bihar Legislative Council elections. However, the circumstances of the police visit and the claims regarding the absence of a warrant could not be independently established from the available account.

The incident also prompted allegations from Sanjeev Kumar’s supporters against BJP candidate and incumbent Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Naval Kishore Yadav.

The RJD candidate’s supporters claimed that Naval Kishore Yadav had arranged hundreds of fake voters and brought them to Patna. They questioned why the police had visited the RJD candidate’s residence while, according to them, no comparable action had been taken at the BJP candidate’s residence.

These allegations could not be independently verified, and no supporting evidence was provided in the available account.

The competing accusations have added to the political friction ahead of polling in the Patna Teachers’ constituency. The claims concerning alleged fake voters and the conduct of the police remain allegations and should not be treated as established facts.

According to the police explanation captured in the video, officers visited the residence after receiving information that people from outside the area were staying there after the campaign period had ended.

The officer said the team would verify the identities of those present and leave if the checks revealed no irregularities. The visit subsequently led to objections from Sanjeev Kumar’s supporters, who demanded clarification about the legal basis for the proposed search.

The episode has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the police action and the competing allegations made by the RJD and its supporters. While Tejashwi Yadav has described the visit as an attempt to pressure the opposition, the police explanation cited in the footage was that the team was acting on information about the presence of outsiders after the campaign deadline.

Further clarification from the authorities would be needed to establish the precise grounds for the visit and determine whether any election-related rules were violated.

With polling approaching, the incident has intensified the political exchange between the RJD and the ruling establishment in Bihar, with both the police action and the allegations against the BJP candidate remaining subjects of dispute.

With IANS inputs