Kanhaiya Kumar, NSUI peers detained for march on CM Nitish Kumar’s residence
Kanhaiya Kumar, NSUI peers detained for march on CM Nitish Kumar’s residence
M.U.H
11/04/202534
Kanhaiya Kumar, the most prominent face of the Congress' Palayan Roko, Naukri Do Yatra — the party’s ‘Stop Running, Give the Youth Jobs’ campaign in Bihar — was detained by Patna Police on Friday, 11 April, while marching towards Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s residence.
Another 20 NSUI leaders were held along with Kanhaiya.
The yatra, spearheaded by Kumar, had reached Patna and was scheduled to culminate on 14 April, the birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. However, the activists’ march was intercepted by the police at Rajapur Pul, preventing the protesters from reaching the chief minister's official residence.
As water cannons were turned on the procession and lathi charge commenced, Kanhaiya suggested, “Instead of wasting water on us, the Bihar government should give it to the poor.”
“We have detained around 20 persons, including Kanhaiya Kumar, and taken them to the Kotwali police station for legal proceedings,” said Krishna Murari, DSP (law and order), Central Patna.
Reacting to the development, Congress said, "Youth were beaten and dragged, their path was blocked with water cannons, and they were brutalised. This dictatorial and anti-youth government should remember that our spirits are not going to break. Our fight against migration and unemployment is on and will continue."
Launched by the Congress months before the assembly elections, the Palayan Roko Naukri Do Yatra is a youth-centric campaign, aimed at highlighting the crisis of unemployment and large-scale migration in Bihar.
The yatra, which started from Champaran and has traversed multiple districts of the state, seeks to amplify the voices of jobless youth and demand concrete employment policies from both the state and central governments.
Congress leaders have described the initiative as a “movement to reclaim the future” of Bihar’s youth, many of whom have been forced to leave the state in search of work.
According to media reports, the district police initially attempted to disperse the marching protestors and their supporters using water cannons. However, as the gathering — including senior Congress leaders — continued to resist, scuffles broke out, prompting the police to resort to a mild lathi charge and multiple detentions.
Despite the crackdown, several Congress leaders and supporters continued their march in defiance of police barricades, determined to reach the chief minister’s residence.
Eyewitnesses reported a chaotic atmosphere in central Patna, with heavy police deployment and intermittent clashes between protesters and security personnel.
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot joined the yatra and addressed a press conference at the Congress office in Patna.
Walking alongside Kanhaiya Kumar and other youth leaders, Pilot strongly criticised both the Central and state governments, accusing them of “betraying the youth” and “mishandling” employment issues.
“The youth of Bihar are being forced to migrate, they are migrating due to chaos, poverty, helplessness and distrust...
“Bihar is one of the youngest states in the country, but instead of nurturing the talent of the youth here, they are turned away from them.
“If Nitish Kumar had to support Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha elections, he should have asked for jobs for the youth of Bihar," said Pilot, addressing media at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi had also participated in the Palayan Roko Naukri Do padayatra and launched a sharp attack on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government over rising unemployment and the deepening migration crisis.
