Police resorted to baton charge and used water cannons to disperse Congress workers marching towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence here on Friday after a face-off ensued between the protesters and security personnel. Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar and top National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) leaders were also detained during the protest.

Kanhaiya Kumar, who is also the national in-charge of NSUI, was leading thousands of Congress workers during the ongoing ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ (Stop migration, Provide jobs) Yatra, which began on 16 March and reached Patna on Thursday after covering various districts. He had sought permission from the Chief Minister to meet and present a memorandum on behalf of the people he had interacted with during the Yatra.

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However, after failing to receive a favourable response from the Chief Minister’s Office, Kanhaiya Kumar decided to lead a protest march towards the CM’s residence. Shortly after the Congress leaders and workers left the party headquarters at Sadaqat Ashram on Friday afternoon, the police stopped them.

To disperse the crowd, the police used water cannons and detained Kanhaiya Kumar, along with other NSUI leaders. They were taken to the Kotwali Police Station in Patna.

In a video clip that went viral, Kanhaiya Kumar was seen singing ‘Hum honge kaamyaab’ and encouraging party leaders and workers under detention.

He said, “Wherever we are, we will raise our voice for justice — be it on the road, in the House, or within the four walls of a prison. Now there are only two possibilities: either we are taken to meet the Chief Minister so he can hear our demands, or we are sent to jail. Even from jail, we will raise our voice and share our demands.”

In a message posted on the social media platform ‘X’, the Bihar Congress stated, “Even though the police have arrested the youth and taken them to Kotwali Police Station in Patna, they could not suppress their voice.”

Before the march, National General Secretary Sachin Pilot, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Kumar, NSUI National President Varun Chaudhary, Youth Congress National President Uday Bhan Chib, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, and Kanhaiya Kumar addressed a press conference.

They said the youth of Bihar were forced to migrate to other states to pursue their dreams, as they were denied opportunities for good education employment within the state. As the JD(U)-BJP alliance flourished in the state, the situation in Bihar went from bad to worse.

Sachin Pilot said, “The youth of Bihar have lost faith in the government. Just as the people gave a befitting reply to the BJP’s conspiracy to change the Constitution in the Lok Sabha elections, the youth of Bihar are also ready. The promises made to them were not fulfilled. The time has come to demand accountability for this breach of promise.”