Arwal, July 28: Block Development Officers (BDOs) in Bihar’s Arwal district continued to wear black bands while on duty for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, intensifying their symbolic protest against the recent attack on administrative officers during a student demonstration in Chapra.
The protest, organised on the call of the Bihar Rural Development Service Association, is being observed by BDOs across the state following the alleged stone-pelting incident in Chapra that left two officers seriously injured.
According to the association, BDO Ritesh Kumar Singh sustained a severe head injury, including a skull fracture, while BDO Drishti Pathak suffered a serious eye injury that reportedly affected her vision. Both officers are currently undergoing medical treatment.
Despite continuing with their routine administrative responsibilities, the officers in Arwal wore black bands as a mark of protest and solidarity with their injured colleagues.
The Bihar Rural Development Service Association has urged the state government to immediately ensure comprehensive medical treatment and all necessary assistance for the injured officers. It has also demanded enhanced security arrangements for Block Development Officers and other administrative officials to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The association said the symbolic protest would continue until the Bihar government announces concrete measures regarding the treatment and welfare of the injured officers and implements effective steps to strengthen the safety of administrative personnel.
“The protest will continue until the state government makes a concrete announcement regarding the treatment and necessary assistance of the injured officers and takes effective decisions regarding ensuring the safety of the Block Development Officers,” the association said.
It further demanded that “all possible assistance should be provided to the officers injured in the incident and the security arrangements for the administrative officers should be further strengthened to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.”
Referring to the ongoing agitation, the association stated, “All Block Development Officers of Arwal district expressed symbolic protest by wearing black bands for the second day in protest against the attack on Block Development Officers during the student demonstration in Chapra.”
