Overview

• The trio—Jitendra Tiwari, Vikrant Gautam and Ravikant Ravi—were detained on July 18 for waving black flags at Prime Minister Modi’s East Champaran rally.
• East Champaran police say the men sought to draw attention to the moribund sugar industry and 80% youth unemployment in the region.
• The detainees remain in custody and are being questioned, with further legal action pending the outcome of their interrogations.
• Video shared by RJD and Congress showed the protesters clinging to a canopy pole, waving black flags and allegedly damaging plastic chairs.
• Opposition leaders used the incident to spotlight broken 2014 promises to revive Motihari’s sugar mills and spur regional growth.