Patna, Dec 30: Bihar Police used lathi charges and water cannons on Sunday to disperse hundreds of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants protesting at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, demanding a re-examination of the 70th BPSC Prelims. Students allege irregularities, including issues with normalization processes and allegations of paper leaks.
SP City Sweety Sahrawat said the police took action after repeated requests to vacate the area were ignored. “We requested the students protesting to vacate the place but they didn’t listen to us. They also pushed us, after which we used water cannons on them,” she explained.
RJD leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav criticized the police response, calling it “very painful.” “It is very painful how BPSC aspirants were beaten up by the police. Many people are badly injured. The visuals that have surfaced are painful,” Yadav said in a video statement.
Yadav also questioned BPSC’s decision-making, particularly regarding the cancellation of exams at only one center despite allegations of a paper leak. “If the paper had been leaked, then why is the exam being cancelled only at one centre? It is a kind of normalization… That’s why students are protesting for a re-examination. I also support this,” he said.
The RJD leader added that the party raised the issue in the Vidhan Sabha and wrote to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, but no response was received.
The Patna Administration filed an FIR against 600-700 individuals, including Jan Suraaj Chief Prashant Kishore, for allegedly instigating the protest and violating public order.
“Despite repeated requests, these people violated the guidelines of the administration and disrupted public order,” a statement from the administration said. Protesters allegedly broke loudspeakers installed by officials and clashed with police during the demonstration.
Kishore, who was present at the protest, pledged his support to the students. “If injustice is done to the students, we will stand with them with full strength… I am with the students,” he told reporters. A five-member student committee was formed to meet the Chief Secretary for discussions, but Kishore indicated further protests could follow if students were dissatisfied with the outcomes.
The protesting students are demanding the cancellation of the Integrated Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024 conducted by BPSC on December 13. Their grievances center on alleged irregularities, including the use of normalization and claims of paper leaks, which they argue have compromised the fairness of the examination process.
The protests highlight mounting frustrations over administrative delays and alleged lapses in oversight as aspirants await a resolution to their demands.
