Patna: Protests and politics have erupted over the suspension and transfer of SSP Vivek Kumar following anti-corruption raids on him, as people took to the streets alleging discrimination in anti-corruption raids conducted by state government agencies.

Leaders and party workers from rival parties Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal United (JDU) joined the protests, which they said were against anti-corruption agencies targeting just a few sections of society and not moving against others. They also took out a protest march in the city on Sunday.

Vivek was booked under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and raided by Special Vigilance Unit last week. Movable and immovable property worth over Rs 4 crore belonging to him, his wife and their family members were seized from Muzaffarpur as well as Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

Senior RJD leader and former minister Alok Kumar Mehta told The Telegraph: "The protests are not only by people belonging to the Kushwaha caste of which Vivek is a member. It is by people belonging to all backward castes, Dalits and the minority communities who find themselves being targeted under the present rule of JDU and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state."

The former minister pointed out that officers connected to powerful politicians, musclemen, or senior bureaucrats were not being raided, nor raids against officials belonging to certain castes were happening.

"I am against any form of corruption, but I chose to speak after noticing discrimination in the raids. Have the Bihar government's agencies started functioning as the CBI, which operates like a political tool? There will be political repercussions of discriminatory raids," Mehta said.

The RJD leader also questioned that if Vivek was such a corrupt person why did the state government give him important posts of SSP in Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur.

JDU leader and former president of the youth wing of his party Santosh Kushwaha also took out a protest march. He said the former Muzaffarpur SSP was "framed as a part of conspiracy and the entire Kushwaha community was angry about it. The community will give a befitting reply to the ruling combine in the forthcoming elections".

Meanwhile, sources said senior politicians - one from the JDU and another from the BJP - both of whom are natives of Uttar Pradesh were leaving no stone unturned to get Special Vigilance Unit chief Ratn Sanjay Katiyar transferred. Incidentally, Katiyar is also the IG (prohibition).

"The senior politicians also called up Bihar police's top brass, seeking Katiyar's transfer. One of them also met a Union minister in New Delhi to get him (Katiyar) ousted from his present Special Vigilance Unit post," a source told The Telegraph.

Vivek, before the raids, was gearing up to work as an officer on special duty of minister of state for human resource development (HRD) Satyapal Singh.