Bihar: At Least 1 Shot Dead in First Violent Clash Between Ruling BJP and Opp RJD in Saran

Patna: In the first incident of post-poll violence during ongoing Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, at least one person was shot dead and two seriously injured in Saran parliamentary constituency following violent clash between supporters of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday morning, a day after polls was held there in the fifth phase of elections.

After the violent incident tension gripped Saran, heavy security forces were deployed and internet services were suspended till May 23 morning.

Police said two local BJP leaders, Ramakant Solanki and Ram Pratap Singh, were arrested in connection with violent clash in Saran in which one RJD supporter was shot dead and two seriously injured. 

A police official in Saran told reporters that clash was result of electoral rivalry between
BJP and RJD supporters over an incident on Monday during the polls.

Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, former Deputy Chief Minister, blamed BJP for violent incident in Saran and killing of a supporter of the party. He has demanded arrest of two more BJP leaders. 

“Police have arrested two BJP leaders and assured us to arrest two absconding BJP leaders involved in killing of a RJD supporter and for seriously injuring two others. BJP haar ke dar se baukhla gai hai aur baukhlahat mein hinsa kar rahi hai,” he said.

The RJD candidate from Saran, Rohini Acharya, alleged that on Monday evening BJP workers had attacked but she managed to escape.

"Police should arrest all BJP workers involved in violent attack on her and killing of a supporter of RJD on Tuesday”, she added.

Saran has become a hot seat in the state as RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya was contesting elections against BJP’s incumbent MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a former Union minister. The seat has become a ‘prestige fight’ for both RJD and BJP.

According to police officials, during the clash near Bhikhari Thakur Chowk in
Chapra town, the district headquarters of Saran, initially two rival groups attacked each other with broken glass bottles and bamboo sticks, but soon one group opened fire in which one person died (RJD supporter) and two others were seriously injured.

Police said Chandan Rai, 26 was shot dead and Guddu Rai, 30, and Manoj Rai, 40, were seriously injured. Both the injured men were first rushed to Chapra Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Patna Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
According to police, preliminary investigation suggests that the clash took place due to an incident on Monday evening when RJD candidate Rohini Acharya, during her visit to a polling booth, was “abused and humiliated” by some BJP supporters, which angered local RJD leaders
and workers.

As per reports in local Hindi dailies, when Rohini Acharya was about to enter a polling booth, BJP workers objected and raised slogans against her. Ignoring them, she went inside the premises, but supporters of BJP candidate Rudy used objectionable language and threatened her to leave immediately. After that she left the booth.

A RJD MLA Jitendar Rai, who is also former minister, alleged that party candidate Rohini Acharya was “not only abused and misbehaved with by BJP workers on May 20 during polls, some BJP workers also uploaded video clips of the incident on social media on Monday night to provoke us. But RJD ignored it.”

On Tuesday morning ,some BJP workers attacked three RJD supporters, who were having tea and opened fire on them in which one died and two are battling for life in the hospital, he alleged.

This is Rohini Acharya’s first election. Her rival Rudy is eyeing a hattrick this time.

Saran is considered a stronghold of Lalu Prasad’s RJD, as he has won the seat four times. But in last two elections, in 2019 and 2014, BJP's Rudy defeated RJD’s candidate.

Though Lalu Prasad is not contesting elections this time due to ill health, the elections in Saran are being widely seen as a prestige battle for him. This was evident as Rohini Acharya was seeking votes in the name of her father’s legacy and he, too, repeatedly appealed to people to bless and support her.

On the other side, Rudy played the ‘Modi card’ by promising 'Modi ki Guarantee' while seeking votes and did not hide the fact that he was heavily banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Both Rudy and Rohini are also banking on the caste factor. Rudy belongs to the Rajput community, a powerful upper caste, and Rohini Acharya, belongs to Yadav caste, a powerful OBC (Other Backward Class). In Saran, Rajputs and Yadavs are two dominant castes in politics
and both have almost equal control on socio-ecnomic sectors. Both have almost similar number of population and are widely seen as traditional rivals.

Rohini Acharya donated a kidney to her father in Singapore in 2022. She lives in Singapore with her husband and children and has been active on social media for the past few years to defend her parents and her younger brother Tejashwi Yadav and to counter BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. She is a known vocal critic of Modi.

The violence comes amid election campaign picking up for remaining sixth and seventh phase of polls on May 25 and June 1.