Kanhaiya Kumar, former JNU Students Union president and now CPI candidate from Bihar’s Begusarai in the Lok Sabha elections, has been booked along with his supporters for alleged assault. Kumar has been fielded against Union minister Giriraj Singh and RJD’s Tanveer Hassan who stood second in the 2014 Begusarai general election in which BJP’s Dr. Bhola Singh had emerged as the victor.
On Sunday, clashes had erupted between Kumar’s supporters and a group of locals after he was shown black flags here during a roadshow in Gadhpura’s Koray village of the constituency.
What is the case?
Kumar and his supporters have been accused of assaulting those who were showing him black flags. An FIR was registered on the basis of a written statement by a local resident. The FIR names Kumar along with 11 others and investigation into the matter is underway.
Who is Kanhaiya Kumar?
The 32-year-old was the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union and is also a leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF), a left-wing students organisation affiliated to the Communist Party of India (CPI). Kumar holds a doctorate degree which he completed in February 2019.
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The former JNUSU President hit headlines in 2016 when he was arrested for alleged sedition following an event to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru where anti-national slogans were said to have been raised. Since then, Kumar has particpated various seminars and debate programmes on TV channels and has become a young face of left politics.
Bihar Lok Sabha dates
Bihar has 40 seats in the Lok Sabha and the voting is taking place in all the seven phases. Begusarai will got to vote in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 29. The results will be announced on May 23.