RJD MLAs stage a protest in front of the Assembly on Thursday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Feb. 23: The Opposition today took a dig at chief minister Nitish Kumar for tendering an apology on the floor of the Legislative Council on behalf of city superintendent of police Kim who had thrashed a woman during a scuffle with the force on Monday.

“It is not a healthy sign for democracy when the executive head of a state apologises for the mistake of a sub-ordinate officer. The apology comes at a time when the police are brutally assaulting people and officials are insulting the people’s representatives. If the CM had to seek forgiveness, it should have been for the police firing in Forbesganj and lathi charge in Noorsarai,” leader of the Opposition and veteran RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui told the Assembly during Zero Hour. RJD MLAs displayed placards seeking action against the SP.

“I take moral responsibility for what she (the SP) has done and apologise. She should be forgiven for her solitary mistake,” Nitish had said in the Upper House while announcing a “high-level probe” into the incident of electrocution that killed two teenagers on Monday evening and touched off a wave of events leading up to the catfight between Kim and Sujata Devi, a mother of three.

Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav defended the chief minister. “I am shocked that the Leader of the Opposition should speak like this. The chief minister has offered an apology to the woman who was slapped. He has even talked about a probe into the matter and getting the SP counselled. He should be praised for the sensitivity that he has shown,” he said.

The chief minister today reached the Assembly when the matter was being discussed. However, he did not intervene and sat through the discussion.

Even before the House was called to order, RJD MLAs were relentless in their demand for action against the SP. They raised slogans at the entrance gate of the Assembly. A few years ago, Nitish apologised to officials for the behaviour of minister Narendra Singh, who had manhandled an official for asking him to show his card before entering the Assembly. “It was an apology for the misdeed done by a representative of the people. But this time, he has apologized for the deed of a junior official,” an RJD MLA said.

The RJD does not agree with the CM’s statement that Kim should be forgiven because she is young and it was her first mistake. Party MP Ram Kripal Yadav said it would amount to say that first-time criminals should be pardoned. He said Nitish’s statement only gave strength to “untamed bureaucracy”.

The Nitish regime has been marked by bringing the political interference of MPs and MLAs on the functioning of officials down to zero level. “It has its plus and minus points. The positive aspect is that MPs and MLAs no longer can put pressure on officials or police to do illegal work. The negative factor is that since there is no political interference, corruption and illegal work done by officials and cops go unchecked and unchallenged,” said a senior politician.