Commodity Market Shut Down in Protest against Abduction
Patna: April 19, 2007
Business owners in Patna City on Thursday kept their shutters down to protest against the police's failure in recovering the six-year old Ankit who was abducted allegedly by his own servant from outside his school on April 12.
The shut down was called by the traders association of Patna City who stayed away from the three main trading places, including the Maharajganj trading center, Jalla Traders' Association, and Gur ki Mandi, in a display of solidarity for the victim's parents are also business owners.
Shouting anti-police and anti-government slogans, hundreds of protestors burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who, they said, was no better than Lalu and Rabri – the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders and former Chief Ministers of Bihar.
The protest also had some nasty moments as some miscreants, taking advantage of the situation, tried to rob some shops while trying to be part of the protest group.
Angry men and women also blamed the Alamganj police station for their lackadaisical approach in following up the case. "Had they acted promptly, Ankit would be safe at home today," they said.
Meanwhile, the mother of Ankit Poonam Devi threatened to commit suicide if her son did not return home safely within next 48 hours.
The police continue to search for Balram Paswan, the servant of the victim's family, who had been missing since the day Ankit disappeared.
On Wednesday, a delegate of the Bihar School and Children Welfare Association (BSCWA) met with the Governor asking him to intervene in the Ankit abduction case.
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