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🇳🇵 Nepal /Crime & Justice

India suspends policeman for firing AK-47 at student protesters

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A policeman in India's Bihar state has been suspended for firing an AK-47 in the air near student protesters.
  • The incident occurred during widespread youth protests over exam paper leaks and unemployment, which have led to the education minister's resignation.
  • Critics condemn the police's use of force, with a Supreme Court judge noting a shrinking public space for dissent.

Authorities in India suspended a policeman for firing an AK-47 in the air to disperse student protesters in Bihar state over the weekend. The incident adds to a wave of youth demonstrations that have already prompted the federal education minister to resign.

The AK-47 was used by the constable wrongly. It cannot be justified in any way.

— Nilesh KumarA senior Bihar police official confirmed the incident and the policeman's suspension.

Videos circulating on social media show a policeman in riot gear running toward protesters in the city of Siwan on Saturday, firing at least three shots into the air. Senior police official Nilesh Kumar confirmed the incident, stating the constable, who was part of an intelligence unit, used the assault rifle inappropriately. "He used it wrongly, because they were students. There was no need of doing so," Kumar told Reuters, adding that the policeman has been suspended and further action will be taken.

He used it wrongly, because they were students. There was no need of doing so. That is why he has been suspended. All sorts of actions will be taken against him.

— Nilesh KumarA senior Bihar police official explained the rationale behind the suspension.

The protests initially erupted over leaked question papers for a national medical college entrance exam, affecting over 2 million students and necessitating a re-test. However, the demonstrations have broadened to include concerns about youth unemployment and fears that artificial intelligence could displace workers in sectors like IT, for which India is known.

It is one of the gravest assaults on democracy in our history. Never before have students been beaten, dragged, and treated like criminals for raising their voices.

— Mallikarjun KhargeOpposition Congress party chief criticized the government's response to the protests.

Opposition parties have criticized the government's handling of the protests. Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge called the situation "one of the gravest assaults on democracy in our history." Meanwhile, Supreme Court Judge Ujjal Bhuyan remarked in a speech on Saturday that "public space for expressing divergent opinion is shrinking in India," emphasizing that the right to peaceful demonstration is a fundamental freedom.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that public space for expressing divergent opinion is shrinking in India.

— Ujjal BhuyanA Supreme Court Judge commented on the state of public discourse in India.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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