Nitish Kumar Attacked in Home Turf Bakhtiyarpur During Event; Assailant Arrested

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was attacked on Sunday by a man during an event in his home turf Bakhtiyarpur in Patna, leading to a massive lapse in the CM’s security system. Sources said that the assailant, believed to be a mentally unstable local resident, was immediately arrested.

The incident was captured on a CCTV camera and the footage shows the man, in his late 20s or early 30s, coming from behind and landing a blow on Kumar’s face. He was immediately accosted by the CM’s security personnel and taken into police custody.

The chief minister, who has spent his early childhood in Bakhtiyarpur, was paying floral tributes to the statue of a freedom fighter from the area when the incident occurred. The assailant, who was clad in a T-shirt and trousers, was reportedly identified as Shankar Sah. A CCTV footage of the incident showed the assailant being dragged away by the policemen who mutter under their breath “paagal hai” (he is crazy).

A government official said that CM Kumar demanded that no action be taken against the assailant and that the officials must look into his complaints.

Not the first attack

Kumar had faced a similar attack back in November 2020 when he was pelted with onions. The incident happened when Kumar was talking about jobs while campaigning in Madhubani for the state assembly elections.

“Keep throwing…,” Kumar had said at the rally. His security staff had then formed a human shield around him to let the CM complete his speech. The assailants were, however, not arrested at the time as Kumar asked his security staff to let them go.

(With PTI inputs)

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