New Delhi: A six-year-old boy, Aditya Kumar, dressed in denim jeans and a red T-shirt, who became the centre of attention during a student protest in Patna, has once again come into the spotlight after a video interview in which he spoke about the police’s alleged treatment of him and his family.
Aditya was seen at a student protest in Patna on Tuesday over alleged irregularities in the BPSC examinations.
Videos show police personnel taking him away from the protest site at Dak Bungalow Chowk.
“Police hame Kotwali thana lekar gayi aur dhamkaya gaya ki, ‘Ab agar andolan mein jayenge toh marenge aur jail bhejenge.’ Humko daraya gaya aur mummy-papa ko maara gaya,” he said in a video interview with KhabarByte.
The student protest in Patna began on 18 August, when students and job aspirants started a sit-in at Gardanibagh, raising concerns over irregularities in recruitment examinations, including the 70th BPSC examination. The agitation intensified on 25 August, when hundreds of protesters marched from Gandhi Maidan towards Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s residence.
At Dak Bungalow Chowk, protesters breached police barricades, following which police used water cannons and resorted to lathi-charge. Several protesters were detained.
While Aditya was praised for his fearlessness in speaking at the protest and raising concerns about the alleged police behaviour, questions were also raised over the detention of a six-year-old and allegations that his family was assaulted. The police, however, denied the allegations.
The police said the boy was handed over to his mother after being kept at a police station for his own safety. Reports said he was at the station for around five hours.
“We also advised the mother and her husband to be more careful with their child, who should not have been allowed to roam around when the area was witnessing unrest,” an officer told Maktoob.
‘Not becoming a police officer’
In his interview, when asked about his dream job and ambitions, Aditya firmly said he would never become a police officer, regardless of what he does in the future.
“Hum police kisi bhi haalat mein nahi banenge. Agar police bane, toh koi neta ya vidhayak dabaav banayega aur case likhne ko bolega,” he said.
In several videos circulating on social media, Aditya can be seen at the protest site, speaking to the media, questioning police action against protesters and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. In one video, a female police officer can be seen taking him away from the crowd and media.
In some videos, police personnel can also be heard asking him where his parents are.
He further claimed that one of the police officers offered him a chocolate, which he refused to accept because of what he alleged was the police’s treatment of his family.
“How could I eat a chocolate from the same police who detained my mother and father?” Kumar said.
Aditya soon became viral on social media, with many users calling him the hero of the protest.
Videos of the six-year-old speaking to the media about the protests, education, government and jobs drew widespread attention. Recent reports have also noted that he carries a copy of the Constitution in his school bag and has said he has read around 80 pages.
“First in my bloodline to watch a press conference by a 6-year-old child, while the PM couldn’t hold one in 12 years!”, reads one post on X.
“Hats off to this Superboy! He is something else… maybe he is what Gen Alpha is all about!”, another user wrote.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)