Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday alleged that the government was treating students like terrorists after a video showing a Bihar Police constable firing an AK-47 assault rifle during a student protest over a paper leak went viral.
Dipke criticises police action
Speaking to reporters, Dipke criticised the alleged use of the AK-47 rifle during crowd control, saying such weapons are meant to attack terrorists, not to deal with students staging protests.
"There was a time when AK-47s were used against terrorists. The AK-47s used by the Army and police in this country were meant for terrorists—they weren't even used against local criminals. Today, this government is using AK-47s against students. The government is treating the youth of its own country like terrorists," Dipke said.
Stepping up his attack, Dipke termed the incident "a matter of great shame" and warned that students would respond accordingly in the upcoming elections.
"If this government still doesn't mend its ways, elections are coming, and the students of this country will teach them a lesson. And don't forget—when a lathi hits a student, it affects four votes in that student's household," he added.
Constable suspended
Following the circulation of the viral video, the Bihar government suspended the constable seen firing the AK-47. According to officials, an AK-47 is not a weapon ordinarily authorised for crowd-control duties and is instead meant to be used in operations against terrorists and heavily armed criminals posing a grave threat to life.
Criticism over NEET protests
Dipke has also criticised the government's handling of the nationwide student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak. Besides questioning the use of force against protesters, he condemned the detention of students and other demonstrators who had demanded accountability over the examination irregularities and sought the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Dipke, who had travelled from Boston to India to lead the agitation, returned home on Wednesday after calling off the 37-day protest at Jantar Mantar following Pradhan's resignation.
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