Prashant Kishor arrested in Patna for protesting in 'unauthorised location'

Patna, Jan 6
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor was arrested by the Patna Police on Monday for staging a sit-in in an unauthorised location in Gandhi Maidan, according to an official.

After the arrest, a medical examination was conducted, and Kishor will be presented in court, Patna SSP Awakash Kumar told IANS.

"Prashant Kishore of Jan Suraaj Party and some other people were illegally protesting in front of Gandhi statue in the restricted area of ​​Gandhi Maidan for their five-point demands," SSP Kumar said.

He also informed that the administration had earlier issued a notice to Kishor and other protestors to move from the unauthorised area of Gandhi Maidan to the designated place of protest, Gardnibagh.

"An FIR was lodged in Gandhi Maidan police station for illegally protesting in the restricted area. Despite repeated requests and giving sufficient time, the place was not vacated," the Patna SSP told IANS.

"Today, on January 6, he has been arrested along with some supporters in the morning. They are completely healthy. Action is being taken to present them before the court as per the prescribed procedure," SSP Kumar added.

Kishor has been actively supporting the agitating Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates and has joined their protest, further bringing attention to their demands for a re-conduct of the entire 70th preliminary examination.

However, his choice of venue for the sit-in has raised concerns about adherence to legal protocols.

Meanwhile, Kishor defended his choice of Gandhi Maidan as a protest site, arguing that it is a public space and does not require prior permission for peaceful demonstrations.

He referred to the large-scale farmer protests in Delhi, questioning whether those protests were deemed illegal and whether Delhi authorities were uninformed about the rules.

Following this, Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh clarified that Kishor's sit-in protest under the Bapu statue at Gandhi Maidan violates established regulations.

"As per a 2015 Patna High Court ruling, Gardanibagh is the designated location for protests, provided prior permission is obtained from the district administration. Gandhi Maidan, a public space primarily used for recreational activities like morning and evening walks, is not authorised for protests or sit-ins. Even political rallies at Gandhi Maidan require administrative approval," Singh had mentioned.