Sarojani Kumari at Nitish Kumar’s janata durbar in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Jan. 7: A serious security breach occurred today when a physically challenged student slashed her palm with a blade at chief minister Nitish Kumar’s janata durbar.

Nitish was shocked when Sarojani Kumari, a 20-year-old girl from Barh in Patna district, took the blade out and slashed her palm demanding job assurance. The incident occurred around 1.50pm when the chief minister walked towards the place where a group of physically challenged people were waiting for him.

As soon as Nitish reached the chair of Sarojani, a third-year history (honours) student of NS College, Barh, she handed an application to him. After going through the application, he said: “This is not the way to get a job. There are ma-ny vacancies coming out. Why don’t you apply for those?”

As Nitish walked away from her, she abruptly stood up and flashed the blade. “If you do not listen to me and fulfil my demand, I will cut my veins in front of you. You are the chief minister of the state and you cannot say that this cannot be done. You have to do it, otherwise I will commit suicide here,” Sarojani screamed.

This was enough to trigger a flutter among the security guards, who rushed to her hand and tried to snatch away the blade from her hand. But she held it tightly. After a struggle for a few minutes, sub-inspector Pankaj Kumar took away the blade from her hand. But by then, blood was oozing from her wound. The sub-inspector received cuts in his middle and tiny fingers.

Nitish said: “How can anybody enter the janata durbar with a blade? I am doing all this for you people. Now I have to re-think over the practice.”

He added: “You slashed your hand and injured one of my security guards. What do you want from me? This is not the way to convey a message.”

Sarojani, who passed Intermediate from SBR College and is the youngest member in her family, said: “I want to study and do something in life. I had visited the janata durbar of the district magistrate several times, but nothing has happened. I only receive a pension of Rs 300 because of my physical disability. Do you think Rs 300 is enough to survive? I want you to arrange computer classes for me and pay the fee. Once I do such a course. I can get a job on my own.”

Nitish said: “I understand your problem, but this is not the place to commit suicide. What will happen if you end you life? Are you going to achieve anything? We will, however, listen to your demand.”

He asked his officials to get a doctor for her first-aid. The chief minister then handed over her application to district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh. “You arrange the computer training classes for her and take the money from my salary,” Nitish told the DM.