RJD men 'purify' a statue after former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi garlands it

Supual, Bihar: Members of RJD's student wing and Lohia Vichar Manch cleaned a statue of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia with water after former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi garlanded it in the district, following which four persons have been booked.

One person has been arrested while search is on for rest three, after an FIR was registered against them, who belonged to the organisation Lohia Vichar Manch, with Supual town police station on the basis of report of Magistrate in the incident, Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kumar Raj told.

Controversy broke when members of Lohia Vichar Manch and student wing of RJD cleaned the statue of the socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia after Manjhi had garlanded it last evening.

Manjhi was on his way to Saharsa in connection with a political programme when he stopped at Lohia chowk to garland the statue of the freedom fighter.

After he left the place, members of student wing of RJD and Lohia Vichar Manch arrived at the spot and washed the statue with water, removed the garland put by Manjhi and placed another garland of their own, the district chief of the two organisations said.

Lohia Vichar Manch Supual district chief Dukhi Lal Yadav said in a release that "Manjhi is a man hungry for power and hence has no moral rights to garland statue of Lohia."

A similar controversy had broken in Madhubani district late last year when Manjhi, who hails from a Mahadalit family and who was Chief Minister at that time, alleged that some people had washed a temple after he visited and offered prayers there.