A day before the counting of votes for Bankipur byelection, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on Sunday (August 2, 2026) accused Kartikey Kumar Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patna, of influencing the byelection and arresting JSP workers. He also presented the evidence in support of his claims.

Mr. Kishor, who has also made his political debut in the Bankipur byelection, pointed out the SSP’s justification that outsiders were causing disturbances, necessitating their detention or arrest to maintain peace. He added that over 50 people were arrested, and the majority were locals and from Patna whose homes were raided by the police. He has also brought the people whose houses were raided by the police the night before polling day (July 30, 2026).

Naval Kishore Gupta, a resident of Mandiri area, Ward 26, said, “My wife and I were asleep at home when there was loud banging on our door; when we opened it, I found a heavy police deployment. I asked what the matter was. He said the senior officer downstairs wanted to see me. I told them I had no criminal cases against me and I run a bakery. They put me in a police jeep and drove me around before eventually detaining me at the Rajiv Nagar police station.”

He further said, “When I said that I was being denied the right to vote, then I was taken to Hathua School at 5 p.m. to cast my vote and was released right there.”

Nibha Bhushan, another resident of Ward 22, said, “I wanted elderly people to cast their vote who were unable to go. My sister was not planning to vote either, but she went after I urged her. I even accompanied her to the polling booth. When I returned home, I found a few BJP supporters dancing with smiles on their faces. I asked the official present there how they had entered my home. He told me that if I was not a local, I would get into trouble. I replied that I would not provide proof of whether I was a local or not. No police personnel should have entered a citizen’s home. This shows we are living in a state of anarchy.”

A resident of Ward 38, Sunil Chandravanshi, claimed that police picked him up three times.

“I was sitting outside my house when an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) came and said the Station House Officer (SHO) wanted to meet me. He put me in a vehicle and drove me around for two hours. Later, they picked me up again, took me to the police station, and released me after two hours. Then, the City SP came to my house, so I moved away from the area,” Mr. Chandravanshi said.

Mr Kishor asked by what authority the police arrested them from their homes and they were released only after being taken to vote just an hour before the polls closed.

“The SSP claims they were only arresting outsiders for violating Section 144. Let them explain how a person sleeping at night was violating Section 144. Furthermore, Ward 22 is an upscale area. The BJP supporters were barging into the Deputy Collector’s house and intimidating people,” Mr. Kishor said.

He further said, “BJP members also behaved rudely with our leaders there when I went to the spot. This is the same SSP who had earlier said the rape and murder of a NEET aspirant was a case of suicide.”

He asked Patna SSP to explain why he sent the police to the woman’s house. He also alleged that the SSP acted on the orders of the BJP.

“While the police have raided the homes of our people as many as three times, the SSP issued press releases claiming they are arresting outsiders. I have just one question: a total of 54 people associated with Jan Suraaj have been arrested; how many BJP members have been arrested?” Mr. Kishor asked.

He added, “We never witnessed such misuse of the administration and police during Nitish Kumar’s 20-year tenure. We are not afraid of anyone. Following our request, the Election Commission has assured us that the SSP will not be present during the vote counting tomorrow.”

Published - August 02, 2026 03:03 pm IST