On Monday, Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishor was arrested for an “illegal” fast unto death and then released on “unconditional” bail. He was taken to a hospital in Patna after his health deteriorated last night.
Mr. Kishore was arrested from Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Monday morning in connection with his ‘fast unto death’ at Gandhi Maidan last week in violation of the Patna High Court order, as no such protest was held anywhere else in the city except in the Gardanibagh locality. The demonstration has been banned.
Before entering full-time politics, Mr. Kishor worked as an electoral strategist. He has been on an indefinite fast since January 2 in support of civil service candidates calling for the cancellation of the December 2018 Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination. On Monday afternoon, he went before a Patna court, which granted him bail on the condition that he provide a written promise to refrain from participating in any “illegal” protests going forward.
Mr. Kishor and his legal team decided that the condition was tantamount to “admitting guilt,” and he was subsequently placed under judicial custody. Later, in the evening, the authorities released him.
Prashant Kishor on Why He Rejected Bail
The reason why Prashant Kishor declined to sign a bail bond was stated to reporters outside the court last night. “I was taken to the court, and I was granted bail, but in the bail order it was mentioned that I should not do any wrongdoings, so I rejected it, and I accepted going to jail,” he said.
He also narrated the sequence of events of Monday morning: “Around 4 am, police reached Gandhi Maidan, where I have been sitting on an indefinite fast unto death for the last five days. They told me that they were detaining me and asked me to go with them. I left with them. Since my supporters were also with me, it’s natural that a minor clash broke out (between them and the police). But by and large, the behavior of the police was not wrong.”
“After we left Gandhi Maidan, the police didn’t tell me where they were taking me. They took me to AIIMS. I was there for more than an hour. They refused to admit me, and I have no idea why. The police then tried to take me to a different hospital, but by then a large crowd of my supporters had gathered at the gate of AIIMS. There was again a minor clash at the gate. From there, the behavior of the police started deteriorating,” he added.
He said that he was taken to several locations and forced to sit in the police vehicle from 5 to 11 in the morning. “They told me they would either take me to PMCH (Patna Medical College and Hospital) or NMCH (Nalanda Medical College and Hospital), but eventually, after five hours, they took me to Fatuha’s community center. They wanted to conduct my medical test and get a certificate from the doctors there. I refused to give my consent for that because I wasn’t involved in any criminal activity. Police tried to convince the doctors to give a certificate, but they refused to give any such illegal certificate,” Mr. Kishor alleged.
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