Ranchi: Police arrested 51 agitating Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and activists including senior party leader Yashwant Sinha in Hazaribagh on charges of misbehaving with the general manager of Jharkhand State Electricity Board in Hazaribagh, Dhanesh Jha, and obstructing government work.
The local court sent Sinha and other party workers on a 14 days judicial custody in Jai Prakash Narayan Jail at Hazaribagh.
Sources said Sinha and a large number of party activists had locked the office of the JSEB GM in Hazaribagh yesterday and allegedly taken Dhanesh Jha hostage with the help of women activists. The GM was tied with ropes in his office. He was later rescued and released by the police.
Police arrested nine persons including Sinha and booked them under various non-bailable Sections.
Sinha had refused to give bail or submit bond to ensure his release. A large number of BJP workers had gathered outside Hazaribagh Sadar police station following Sinha�s arrest.
Police produced Sinha and other BJP activists in the court this morning. BJP women activists have also registered a case against the JSEB GM.
Meanwhile, state BJP activists have taken to the street against the arresting of Sinha and other party workers. A large number of them blocked the National Highway 33 at Zila Parishad Chowk today. The blockade was removed after the intervention of police.
On the other hand, employees of JSEB have threatened to go on agitation. They said if such incidents of misbehavior with electricity department employees continues, they will resort to a complete power shutdown in the district. They said improving power supply was not possible without improvement in basic infrastructure and resources.
State BJP president Dr Ravindra Kumar Rai criticized the Hazaribagh administration and the state government for arresting Sinha and other party workers. He said the party leaders were agitating on a public issue. He said the government should not ignore the power crisis in the state and that it should not try to suppress the agitation.