Twelve hurt as Manjhi and Nitish supporters clash

At least 12 people were injured here Friday when supporters of Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and former chief minister Nitish Kumar clashed in front of the JD-U office, police said.

The clash broke out when Manjhi's supporters burnt an effigy of Nitish Kumar and shouted slogans against him, police said.

Slogan shouting supporters of Manjhi attacked some supporters of Nitish Kumar near the JD-U office on busy Birchand Patel Marg here.

"Dozens of Manjhi supporters entered the JD-U office and tried to ransack it and damage the property," a police official said.

After JD-U national general secretary K.C. Tyagi and state JD-U president Vashisht Narain Singh said that Manjhi would be removed and would be replaced by Nitish Kumar, Manjhi's supporters took to the streets in protest.

However, Manjhi also targeted Tyagi by terming him 'pagal'(mad) and said that no one can remove him and he would continue to be chief minister.

Manjhi announced that he will fight any move to remove him.