Bharat Bandh: Cop accidentally hits Patna SDM during lathicharge in Bihar, video goes viral

The viral video shows cops lathicharging protesters amid the nationwide strike.

The viral video shows cops lathicharging on protestors amid the nationwide strike (Image source: @SachinGuptaUP/X)

Dalit and Adivasi groups are currently protesting against the Supreme Court’s nod to the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Amid a nationwide strike, several videos of cops lathicharging protesters are doing the rounds on the Internet. One such video from Bihar’s Patna has caught the attention after a policeman accidentally hit a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) with a baton.

The viral footage begins with a chaotic scene unfolding on the streets. While cops and army personnel lathicharge protesters, one of them mistakenly hits the SDM––dressed in a crisp white shirt and pants––with his baton. Sharing the video on X, a user wrote, “In Patna, the police lathi-charging the protesters hit the SDM with lathis, leaving the SDM angry.”

Watch the viral video here:

पटना में प्रदर्शनकारियों पर लाठीचार्ज कर रही पुलिस ने SDM को ही लाठियां मार दी। बाद में पता चला कि वो SDM हैं। फिर SDM साहब बिगड़ गए।#SCSTआरक्षण https://t.co/FEET6Zm4NE pic.twitter.com/0OdG15vmgv

— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) August 21, 2024

The said video prompted hilarious reactions with many assuming the incident was deliberate. Reacting to it, a user wrote, “I think the policeman has deliberately hit him.” Another user commented, “Look carefully, he has hit on purpose, he will lose his job now.”

“Taste of own medicine?” a third user reacted.

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Ashok Kumar Singh, deputy superintendent of police, told ANI that police had to use “mild force” as it was “not a peaceful protest” and “common people could not travel.” According to news agency PTI, security arrangements were made across the state, and shops and schools remained shut only in some districts.

According to the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR), the SC’s verdict threatens the constitutional rights of SCs and STs. The organisation has called on the government to bring a new law on reservation for SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that will be protected by its inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.