Kidnapped students finally released in Bihar, and now Lau feels a conspiracy behind discrediting Bihar
Sudhir Chadda, Special Correspondent
February 03, 2005

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The hooliganism in Bihar continues. The thugs finally released the kidnapped students. Every corner of India extorted pressure on Lalu and company to reverse the situation in Bihar. But now Lalu feels the world is conspiring against him and Bihar!

Amid continuing public outcry in Bihar, two kidnapped schoolboys - Kislay Komal and Dipak Bharti were released on Wednesday, a day ahead of the first phase of state assembly polls. 

The two boys returned home even as Biharsharif, the headquarter town of Nalanda district is observing a bandh called by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Bihar Public School Association in protest against the abduction of another DPS student Ravikant on January 24. 

While Kislay, a standard VII student of Delhi Public School in Patna kidnapped on January 19, was released by his captors in Separa area here on Wednesday morning, Dipak, a standard IX student of DAV Public School at Bhagalpur abducted on January 25, walked to freedom at Kantainthi village in the face of mounting police pressure, official sources said. 

Acting on information provided by two persons arrested on Tuesday night, the police had cordoned off the entire Separa area forcing Kislay's abductors to free him, senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, N H Khan told sources. The traumatized boy surfaced on the road in the morning and policemen soon traced him, he said, adding the notorious Chunnu Thakur gang was involved in the incident. Ten people, including Kiran, wife of Chunnu Thakur, who is lodged in Hajipur jail in connection with several cases, were arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Kislay, son of an Assistant Commissioner of Sales Tax K K Gupta. DIG (Bhagalpur range) Kumar Rajesh Chandra said Dipak was freed by his abductors when the police raided Kankaithi village under Jagdishpur police station. 

Kislay's kidnapping from Patel Nagar here while on way to board the school bus had triggered widespread protests by school children and their guardians. 

The children had staged a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan, resorted to relay fast and even stopped taking their tiffins. Thousands of e-mails had flooded the Rashtrapati Bhavan as children sought President A P J Abdul Kalam's intervention to secure Kislay's and other students'' safe release. 

The schools had also not organised cultural programmes on the Republic Day as a mark of protest. Kislay's release, like his kidnapping, got embroiled in politics as RJD president Lalu Prasad mounted an offensive on Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Ramvilas Paswan saying jailed gangster Chunnu Thakur, who wanted LJP ticket for his wife Kiran, also arrested in the case, was behind the incident. 

“There is a conspiracy to defame the state government and we will expose those who are orchestrating the kidnappings,” he said on Wednesday. 

Reacting strongly to the charge, Paswan threatened to sue Lalu Prasad and denied that Chunnu Thakur was in any way linked to his party. 

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