Patna, Aug 30: A six-year-old boy, identified as Aditya, staged a sit-in in Patna’s Gardanibagh area on Sunday, alleging that his parents were beaten by police while he was kept in custody during a protest by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants.
Aditya had earlier joined the BPSC aspirants’ protest on August 25, when demonstrators had planned to gherao Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhury’s residence over various demands, including a single-tier examination for the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4).
During Sunday’s protest, the boy alleged that he was separated from his parents for around eight hours and that they were beaten during the period.
“My parents were beaten up while I was kept separated from them in custody for eight hours. My parents are not criminals, so why did police beat them up?” Aditya said.
The police, however, have given a different account of the incident. An official had earlier said that the boy was taken to a police station for his own safety and was subsequently handed over to his mother, who works as a domestic help.
“We also advised the mother and her daily wage-earning husband to be more careful with their child who must not have been allowed to roam around when the area was beset with trouble,” the official said.
Aditya has appealed to people and politicians across party lines to support his protest. He also demanded a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he would continue his sit-in until his grievance is addressed.
“We will definitely meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He holds roadshows during elections. Now, he should concede to our demand and meet us. We will continue sitting here in protest as long as it doesn’t happen,” he said.
The six-year-old had drawn attention earlier this week after his participation in the BPSC aspirants’ demonstration, making his latest sit-in another talking point amid the ongoing protests over recruitment-related demands.
