Bihar violence: RJD, Congress trying to instigate riots in state, says Ashwini Choubey

Shops in Bhagalpur were shut on Sunday. (Express Photo: Santosh Singh)

Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, whose son is charged in a case related to the communal clashes in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, on Saturday accused the RJD and Congress of trying to instigate “riots” in Bihar. The minister also warned that the NDA governments at the Centre and in the state would take stern action against such attempts.

According to him, the Centre and Bihar government had foiled attempts to cause violence in Bihar, although the RJD and Congress “wanted” disturbances. “We will defeat the intention of the RJD and Congress to instigate riots. The conspirators wanted to cause riots, but no one dared to do so and we have kept Bihar under control. The Bihar government and Centre will together defeat the attempts to disturb harmony in the state,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, a Bhagalpur court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Choubey’s son Arijit Shashwat. “The court pronounced a one-line order that Arijit Shashwat’s anticipatory bail petition is rejected and fixed a date for pronouncing order for eight other accused persons’ bail plea,” Shashwat’s lawyer Viresh Kumar Mishra said, adding the detailed order is awaited.