Nalanda: Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor was denied entry into Kalyan Bigha, the ancestral village of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, during a visit to Nalanda district on Sunday. Kishor, who leads the Jan Suraj campaign, was attempting to meet a Dalit family and assess the implementation of government welfare schemes in the village, but was blocked by police and district officials.
Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor- Please make it Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor
Speaking to the press, Kishor criticised the administration’s decision, asserting his constitutional right to move freely. “As far as I know, Section 144 is not in force. This is a democracy—there should be no restriction on visiting any village or speaking to its residents,” he said. “If Nitish Kumar’s government is so afraid of public interaction in his own village, why not seal off all 40,000 villages in Bihar?”
Kishor said he intended to verify the implementation of a long-standing government promise, dating back to 2008, that all Dalit and Mahadalit families in Bihar would receive three decimals of land. “We want to see if that promise was fulfilled in Kalyan Bigha,” he said. “We’re not here to protest—we want to talk to the people. Are officials demanding bribes during land surveys and mutations? Are receipts being issued? These are the questions we’re asking.” The village was placed under tight security, with a significant police presence reported. Entry was permitted only after questioning. According to local sources, villagers were allowed in, but anyone identified as affiliated with Jan Suraj was denied access.
Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Kajle Vaibhav Nitin stated that while permission had been granted for a gathering of up to 8,000 people at Bihar Sharif Shramik Kalyan ground, Kalyan Bigha was not a designated location for mass meetings. “They are free to hold their event at the approved venue,” he added. The incident has sparked debate about administrative overreach and the right of political organisations to interact with the public outside officially sanctioned venues.
