IN THE MIDST of noisy scenes in the Assembly and heated protests outside the Opposition against what it called a “draconian” law, the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 was passed in the State Assembly on Tuesday and now it will be presented to the Legislative Council.
While RJD lawmakers staged strong protests in the Assembly, even preventing the President from entering the House at one point, the opposition leader and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, his brother and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav, and more than 50 opposition leaders staged a protest at the busy Dak Bungalow junction in Patna. Later, the leaders requested the arrest after the police used water cannons to control the situation.
The bill seeks to convert the existing Bihar Military Police (BMO) into a special armed force that can be deployed to secure industrial units on the lines of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who holds Home’s portfolio, has said “a specially trained force” is needed “to strengthen internal security.”
Patna: Security personnel dismiss a Grand Alliance legislator who was organizing a dharna in front of President Vijay Kumar Singh’s chamber during the Bihar assembly budget session in Patna on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 (PTI ).
A government official told The Indian Express: “Bihar is surrounded by Nepal and three states – UP, West Bengal and Jharkhand – and it also has several infested areas of Naxal, which is why the state needed such a force.” He said some other states have raised similar forces, modeled after the CISF.
But the Opposition pointed to the contentious Section 7 of the bill that empowers the newly constituted force to arrest anyone and search their facilities without a court order, on the basis of suspicions. According to the rules so far, only the district police have powers to make arrests.
नीली शर्ट पहना शख़्स पटना का DM है जो माननीय विधायक को धक्का दे रहा है। दो माननीय विधायकों को घसीटा जा रहा है और प्रशासन का अधिकारी जूते से विधायक को लात मार रहा है।
लोहिया जयंती पर नीतीश कुमार यह कुकर्म करवा रहे है। सड़क और सदन कहीं कोई सुरक्षित नहीं। # नीतीशकुमार_शर्म_करो pic.twitter.com/LjphMICJId
– Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) March 23, 2021
Tejashwi Yadav said: “A careful reading of the proposed bill and the opinion of legal experts show that the bill may lose the authority of the courts to hear whistleblowers arrested by the proposed special armed police force. The bill seeks to change the name of Bihar Military Police (BMP), which has 21 battalions, to Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP) ”.
Patna: RJD legislators organize a dharna in front of President Vijay Kumar Singh’s chamber during the budget session of the Bihar assembly, in Patna, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 (PTI).
On Tuesday, there was an uproar within the Assembly with the Opposition raising slogans against President Vijay Kumar Sinha and the NDA government, forcing the President to lift the House. Subsequently, some opposition legislators prevented the president from reaching the Assembly to resume the session. This prompted the Patna administration to send additional forces to the House to control the situation.
Former Bihar minister and JD (U) and MLC spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said: “There has been an unnecessary dispute over the bill. A specialized police force would only reduce our dependence on the central forces. “
Tejashwi later took to Twitter saying: “Members of the judiciary were beaten in the Chamber. Unemployed youth were beaten on the streets. After becoming the third grade leader of a third grade party, Nitish Kumar has become a victim of mental bankruptcy. “
However, speaking to The Indian Express, a former Bihar DGP said that although the police already have powers to make pre-trial arrests, the criminal provisions under the proposed legislation need to be reviewed.
.
