The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MLA from Bibhutipur in Samastipur district of Bihar, Ajay Kumar, was attacked late at night on May 29 at the party’s Samastipur office. He was unhurt in the attack. The party politburo has condemned the murderous attack on its MLA and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits and punitive action against them.
Mr. Kumar, 51, is also a leader of the CPI(M) legislature party in the State assembly and a member of the State Secretariat. He has been a popular Left leader in the district. In the 2020 Assembly election, he defeated sitting Janata Dal-United MLA Ram Balak Singh from Bibhutipur, which has been a CPI(M) stronghold for several years in Bihar.
Party workers and leaders took out a protest march in Samastipur town on Sunday and blocked traffic on the road, demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.
Mr. Kumar could not be contacted as he was busy in a meeting with State party leaders on the issue. A local party leader told The Hindu, “Over a dozen bike-borne criminals attacked the party office on Saturday night at 10 p.m., broke the lock of the gate and damaged Ajay Kumar’s SUV (sports utility vehicle) too. His security guard was injured in the attack.” This is the second attack on Mr. Kumar in the recent past.
Senior State CPI(M) leader Sarvodya Sharma told The Hindu over phone that some criminals tried to enter the party office in Samastipur, located close to the Samastipur Railway Station, at around 10 p.m. on May 29, and broke the lock. “They had come to attack party Ajay Kumar, who was present in the office, but they could not do it as other people had gathered there. However, a security guard was injured in the attack. There was an attack on him [Mr. Kumar] a month back also,” said Mr. Sharma.
He added, “It seems it is an attack on the party and the party MLA both. It smacks of a political conspiracy because despite our complaint, the district police has not been taking any action against those who are behind the repeated attacks.”
Later, the State party unit called for “high-level probe into the attack and also to expose the political conspiracy behind it”. “The party demands immediate arrest of the culprits and their patrons,” a press release of the State CPI(M) said. The party has asked all its district committees and units to observe May 31 as a “protest day” to condemn the attack.
“The state government must provide adequate security to the MLA and institute an enquiry on why such incidents are being repeated against him,” the CPI(M) politburo said in its statement.
