Thursday, February 16 2006 17:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: BJP's Rajya Sabha member and former union minister Yashwant Sinha, arrested yesterday for locking up central government offices during office hours, was today (Feb 16 2006) produced before a court in Hazaribag which remanded him to judicial custody for 12 days.

Sinha was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate after being booked under Section 151 of the CRPC (Arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences). He has been remanded to judicial custody till February 28.

The former External Affairs Minister, along with over 150 BJP followers, was arrested in Hazaribagh yesterday for locking up central government offices during office hours during an agitation launched on February 13.

The BJP's Hazaribag unit, led by Sinha, is spearheading a Save dignity of Hazaribag agitation to protest the decision to close down two Regional Training Institutes (RTI) of Direct Taxes and Central Excise and Customs in the district and tardy progress of railway network.

Sinha last night told sources on phone that the agitationists had put locks on some central government offices in Hazaribag on Monday.

Hazaribag police superintnednet Praveen Kumar Singh today said the locks had been removed and the offices were functioning smoothly.

Alleging the UPA Government was deliberately ignoring his home town, Sinha said he would not attend the budget session of Parliament unless his demands were met.