Purnia: A clash broke out between supporters of an independent candidate and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Purnia on Saturday, creating chaos during election campaigning. The incident took place at Sone Lal Chowk in Sadhuvali Panchayat under the Kasba police station area. People in the area said the situation quickly turned tense as both groups came face-to-face while carrying out their campaign work.
According to reports, the clash occurred between supporters of former MLA and independent candidate Pradeep Kumar Das and LJP (Ram Vilas) candidate Nitesh Kumar Singh, who is contesting as part of the NDA alliance. Witnesses said heated arguments between the two sides soon turned into a physical fight. Police were informed about the situation, but before they could arrive, independent candidate Pradeep Kumar Das himself reached the spot and intervened to stop the fight.
Pradeep Kumar Das claimed that the trouble started when the LJP-R candidate’s campaign vehicle accidentally hit a boy. He said his supporters became angry over the incident, which led to a scuffle. “I was travelling on the same route for my campaign. When I saw the two sides fighting, I immediately stopped and tried to calm them down,” Das said, adding that he urged everyone to stay peaceful and focus on campaigning respectfully.
On the other hand, LJP-R candidate Nitesh Kumar Singh gave a different version of the incident. He alleged that his worker was beaten up by supporters of Pradeep Kumar Das. “This was a criminal act. My team was campaigning peacefully when we were attacked without any reason,” Singh said. He demanded strict action from the authorities and assured his supporters that his campaign would continue peacefully.
Local police officials confirmed that a clash had taken place and said they were looking into the matter. No major injuries were reported, and the situation has since returned to normal. The incident has, however, highlighted the rising tension in Bihar’s political atmosphere as campaigning gains momentum ahead of the elections.
