Dinesh Kumar Singh protests outside the Assembly on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Legislator Dinesh Kumar Singh took one step further on Wednesday to get his seized SUV back: sitting on a dharna on the Assembly lawns.

“I do not want to attend the Assembly proceedings. I am being insulted by the police and you want me to attend the Assembly? It is a very serious matter how can the police seize the vehicle of a people’s representative?” asked the RJD MLA while demanding to get his vehicle back seized on Monday for unlawfully parking it near the Assembly gate.

“Instead of apologising to me, the police had lodged a case against me. I did not park the car, the police stopped me so I left the car over there itself. It’s the third day that the police have seized and kept my car. I am forced to walk to reach the Assembly everyday. I was feeling uneasy on Tuesday night when I reached home after a 2.5km walk in such sweltering heat. Even I had to take medicine. The behaviour of police officers against an MLA is not acceptable and they must release my car immediately. Not only my car, the police have also seized my bag which was kept inside the car,” said the Jagdishpur MLA.

Dinesh did not get any support from lawmakers of his party either. Even one JD(U) MLA laughed at him for staging the dharna. “He is nothing more than a joker,” said Sunil Pandey, the JD(U) MLA from Tarari in Bhojpur district.

Around one-and-a-half hours after he started the dharna at 11am, Dinesh told one of the Assembly staff: “Can you call one staff from the canteen? I want to have something.”

“But sir, you are sitting on a darnna,” came the reply. Dinesh, with posters in hands and some slinging, shouted: “You fool, it is not a hunger strike. It is a dharna and people are allowed to eat on dharna. You just do whatever I am telling, the government is already harassing me and now you seem to be not sparing me. Please call the staff.” After 10 minutes, a staff gave him lassi, four pieces of sweets, one plate of pakauri and water.

Sachivalaya deputy superintendent of police Manish Kumar said: “The MLA knows very well how to get back his vehicle according to the law. I do not need to explain it.”

Asked about the process of releasing the vehicle, superintendent of police (traffic) Jayant Kant said: “The matter has occurred in the Assembly premises and it is the Speaker’s privilege to take cognisance of it. Police cannot do anything.”