JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar Shown Black Flags in Patna

Two unidentified people showed Kanhaiya black flags in Patna, following which they were roughed up by his supporters.

JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar addressing a meeting on ‘Azadi’ organised by AISF and AIYF in Patna on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was shown black flags at a function in Patna on 1 May. They were shown by two unidentified people who were roughed up by his supporters and detained by the police for questioning.

The accused, belonging to a little-known outfit, Youth Swaraj, showed black flags to the JNUSU president, besides raising slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ while he was speaking at a function. The function, ‘Azadi’, was at SK Memorial hall and was organised by AISF and AIYF.

“Police have detained two persons in this regard,” Patna Senior Superintendent of Police, Manu Maharaj.

The two detainees have been identified as Nitish Kumar, a resident of Sitamarhi district, and Manikant Mani, a resident of Samastipur district, the police said, adding that the two youths are said to be members of RSS.

The JNUSU president, who was addressing the gathering when the incident occurred, said he was not scared of such elements who oppose him or try to disturb his functions.

I am not scared of anything – whether you hurl a shoe or a stone. They want to disturb my programmes as they are uncomfortable with my questions.

Kanhaiya Kumar

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar alleged that he became the PM “with the support of capitalists” and cannot solve the problem of unemployment.

Kumar also criticised those who say that taxpayers’ money or subsidy being provided to JNU is a waste of public money. He called it a “conspiracy” to “defame” the premier academic institution in the country.

I am a PhD scholar who is the son of an Anganwadi worker. This itself proves that taxpayers’ money or subsidy given to JNU is spent and utilised properly.

Kanhaiya Kumar

Alleging that only capitalists get loans from banks, he said they “do not repay loans and instead they fly to London overnight”, a reference to the fugitive industrialist Vijay Mallya, who is in Britain after defaulting on a loan of over Rs 9000 crore.

Kanhaiya shot into the limelight after he was arrested in a sedition case in connection with a controversial event in JNU. He is currently out on interim bail.

Kumar arrived in Bihar on 30 April and was given a rousing welcome in the state. He met both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav the same day. He was escorted by a posse of policemen at the airport on his arrival from New Delhi and moved with a convoy in the state capital.

Kanhaiya, who hails from Begusarai district of Bihar, is on a two-day tour of his home state.