Abducted boys return on poll eve

Kislay Kaushal, the 14-year-old boy whose kidnapping 14 days ago had become a burning issue in poll-bound Bihar, returned home today. So did...

Kislay Kaushal, the 14-year-old boy whose kidnapping 14 days ago had become a burning issue in poll-bound Bihar, returned home today. So did Dipak, another schoolboy kidnapped from Bhagalpur.

The return of the children just a day before the polling for the first phase of election has triggered a bigger controversy. Opposition parties accused the ruling RJD of stage-managing the entire episode while RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav said the kidnappers had links with Ramvilas Paswan’s LJP and BJP.

‘‘The people who are capable of fixing the timing of the release fixed it according to their convenience,’’ said JDU leader Nitish Kumar. ‘‘It has all been managed by the RJD,’’ said BJP leader Sushil Modi while Laloo Yadav claimed the ransom call for Kislay’s release was made from a BJP leader’s phone.

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The Patna police said following a tip-off they cordoned off the Sipara area, 15 km from the outskirts of the city, and recovered Kislay on Wednesday morning.

Interestingly, journalists who visited the area could not locate the house from where Kislay was recovered and no local had any knowledge of a police operation there.

Anyway, Kislay reached his home, driven in a police Gypsy by 9.30 am, with all media in attention. ‘‘It is a great job by our police,’’ said Yadav.

Kislay said he was well taken care of by his abductors and endorsed the police claim that the police rescued him. The boy said he was thankful to his friends and other schoolchildren in Patna who had been demanding his release. ‘‘I am anxious to get back to school,’’ said Kislay.

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

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