Shoe thrown at Nitish Kumar at a JD(U) youth wing conference in Patna
One person was arrested by the police in Patna for throwing a slipper at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday. Mr Kumar was speaking at a conference of the youth wing of Janata Dal United in the state capital. Poll strategist-turned-politician, Prashant Kishor, who was inducted into the party in September, was with the Chief Minister at the Bapu Sabhagar when the incident happened.
The person, identified as one Chandan Kumar, from Aurangabad told the police that he was angry and protesting against reservation in the state. He said he is "suffering as he belonged to the upper caste" and "due to reservations he is unable to get a job."
Youth workers of the JD(U) allegedly thrashed Chandan Kumar until the police came to his rescue and took him away.
The Chief Minister, for the last couple of weeks, has been interacting with different sections of his party. Last Sunday Nitish Kumar attended a meeting of the women's cell of JD(U) and in the week before that he addressed a meeting of Maha Dalits in Patna.
The NDA government has been facing anger from upper castes in the state over the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act. The state saw widespread protests last month, when normal life was hit.
Upper castes in the state are reportedly upset with the NDA government after the restoration of the provision of immediate arrest under the SC/Act Act that was struck down by a March 20 Supreme Court verdict.
This is not the first time that a shoe was thrown at the Chief Minister. In 2016, a man, identified as PK Rai, was arrested for hurling a show at the Chief Minister in Patna.