Arrested for 'illegal' protest, Prashant Kishor claims he got 'unconditional' bail hours after judicial remand

Patna: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who was arrested for an "illegal" fast unto death, claimed that he was released on "unconditional" bail on Monday hours after a court remanded him to judicial custody.

Earlier, he refused to secure release, alleging that the bail conditions were "unreasonable".

On a day of dramatic developments, Kishor was picked up from the Gandhi Maidan early in the morning, in pursuance of an FIR lodged against him last week for holding 'Aamaran anshan' (fast unto death) at Gandhi Maidan, in violation of a Patna High Court order that forbids any such demonstration at a place other than Gardani Bagh locality in the city.

The former poll strategist was produced before a court here which granted him bail with the condition that, he claimed, he must give a written undertaking not to take part in any "illegal" protest in future.

Kishor and his legal team held that the condition was tantamount to "admitting guilt" and the 47-year-old was remanded to judicial custody. The Jan Suraaj Party founder was later released by the authorities.

Kishor, who addressed the media late in the evening upon his release, claimed, "The local administration was so ill-prepared that it could not take me to the Beur Central Jail, after judicial remand, since they did not have the requisite papers. They kept driving me along in their vehicle".

Patna High Court advocate Kumar Amit, who also spoke on the occasion, said, "After the judge had passed the order, we argued before her that all the sections under which Prashant Kishor was booked, are bailable. As such, he should have been granted bail by the police itself. The matter need not have been taken to the court".

He added, "We reasoned before the judge that under such circumstances, it was not proper to insist on a written undertaking. We also cited a number of judgements by the higher courts, including the Supreme Court. The judge very kindly agreed to modify her earlier order and granted unconditional bail".

An ebullient Kishor said he would continue his "Satyagraha" at the Gandhi Maidan and remarked, "The concluding point should be the same as where things had commenced".

Notably, Kishor has thrown his weight behind an ongoing protest by civil service aspirants to press the demand for cancellation of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exams held last month amid allegations of question paper leak.

Kishor had staged a protest at Gandhi Maidan on December 30, which ended in lathi charge and use of water cannons by police, and sent one of his party colleagues as part of a delegation that spoke to Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena but failed to break the deadlock.

With no end in sight to the impasse, the former election strategist launched the "Aamaran Anshan" (fast unto death) on January 2, demanding, besides cancellation of the December 13 exams, a "white paper" on all question paper leaks in the state in past one decade and a "domicile policy" so that two-thirds of government posts were reserved for people haiing from Bihar.

An upbeat Kishor said, "Our stir will continue. I will disclose more about my strategy tomorrow. We are also exploring the option of moving the court seeking cancellation of the exam".

His attention was also drawn to a snide remark of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav that the entire episode looked like "a movie, with a complet star cast of actors, director and producer, complete with a vanity van", an allusion to the luxury vehicle which Kishor has been using for some time.

The Jan Suraaj Party founder replied, "It is my suggestion to both Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi that they pro-actively come out in support of the demands which are not about my party but the future of the state's youth. They need to realise that politics is not all about posting on social media".

Often accused of being the "B Team" of the state's ruling NDA, Kishor claimed, "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is physically and mentally tired and the government is being run by a handful of his trusted aides who happen to be retired bureaucrats".

"Please make it a point to ask the district administration tomorrow, why were the officials concerned in a hurry to take me away from the court while the matter was being re-heard. Will any action be taken against such officials who seem to be in an overdrive?

"There are some police personnel who heed their conscience. One of them lent me his jacket as I was shivering in the biting cold. But they seem to be under pressure from their higher above who keep getting orders from the CM's office", Kishor alleged.