Bihar: 6-yr-old boy draws attention for bold remarks during students' protest

PATNA: Aditya, a six-year-old slum-dwelling boy, has become the centre of attention for his bold and sharp comments during a students' protest here.

Dressed in a T-shirt and denim trousers and sporting a traditional 'tilak' on his forehead, Aditya participated in the protest over demands related to Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examinations on Tuesday.

Later, he was handed over to his parents by the police, who asked them to be "more careful with him".

"Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary should resign and action should be taken against those who ordered the lathi-charge," the precocious boy said, happily obliging journalists with a juicy "bite".

Social media was abuzz with rumours that Aditya, a resident of Punaichak locality in Patna, had been "arrested" for taking part in the protests.

However, police dismissed the claim, stating that the boy was handed over to his mother, who works as a house help, after being kept at a police station "for his own safety".

"We have also advised the mother and her daily wager husband to be more careful with their child who must not have been allowed to roam around when the area was beset with trouble," an officer said.

The protesters, however, seemed to have enjoyed the sight of Aditya as shouts of 'Gen Alpha' rent the air when the boy was let off.

While most people, including his parents, remain of the view that the boy is being driven by an insatiable curiosity about the world around, which may subside once he grows older, Aditya happily keeps telling eager reporters that he was "exercising his rights as a citizen concerned about the future".

Students and job aspirants clashed with the police during a march towards the chief minister's residence on Tuesday.

Police used water cannons and allegedly resorted to lathi-charge after protesters breached barricades and pelted them with stones. Several people were detained, and some protesters and police personnel were injured.