Wednesday, January 29, 2025
HomeSpecialsOpIndia ExplainsThousands of BPSC aspirants in Bihar on the streets: Why are the students protesting...

Thousands of BPSC aspirants in Bihar on the streets: Why are the students protesting and how Prashant Kishore provoked them to create a ruckus

On Sunday, 29th December, around 1000s students gathered at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Bihar, and yelled slogans against the state demanding the cancellation of the 70th BPSC pre-examination. The protests stem from allegations of a question paper leak and malpractices at exam centers.

Bihar is yet again in the news, not for its politicians but for protests that have swept the state. In a recent incident, several students from the district who appeared for the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) preliminary exams have been protesting in the capital city demanding re-examination. These students who have been protesting since December 18th alleged state mismanagement at several examination centers. They claimed that the CCTV cameras were not functioning at a few centres and that question papers were distributed late at some centres.

On Sunday, 29th December, around 1000s students gathered at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Bihar, and yelled slogans against the state demanding the cancellation of the 70th BPSC pre-examination. The protesters broke the barricades and affirmed over meeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Amid this, a minor scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police following which the latter used water canons to disperse the crowd. The police were also forced to resort to lathi-charge as the protestors attempted to march towards Dak Bungalow via Fraser Road.

“We requested the students protesting to vacate the place but they didn’t listen to us…We also said that they can put forward their demands, and we are ready to listen to them…They also pushed us after which we used water cannons on them,” said SP City Sweety Sahrawat post-lathi charge.

As per the reports, the BPSC preliminary examination was conducted on 13th December across 912 centres in Bihar during which the students claimed that CCTV cameras and jammers at a few of them were not functioning properly. They also stated that at other centres question papers were distributed late affecting the schedule of the examination. However, the state has agreed so far to only re-schedule the examination at one centre in Patna where the examination supervisor was reported dead due to a heart attack amid the ruckus.

Around 3.8 lakh students appeared for the exam this time of which around 1000 protested firmly raising their voices against the alleged mismanagement. The students who now have garnered support from activists, political parties, and educationalists are further questioning the state over their alleged biased decision to re-schedule the exam at just one centre.

Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, questioned the state while extending support and assistance to the protesting students. He said that the demand of the students to re-schedule the exam at all 912 centres across the state was valid and justified.

“How can BPSC reschedule the examination for just one centre? There should be a level playing amid complaints of delayed distribution of question papers, non-functional CCTV cameras, and jammers at several other centres. Students are justified in seeking fresh prelims for all 912 examination centres,” he was quoted as saying. He addressed the students on Saturday, 28th September, and asked them to gather at Gandhi Maidan for a congregation.

“I must say that irregularities and paper leaks have now become the norm as far as BPSC exams are concerned. It can’t go on like this… We have to find a solution,” he said asking the students to gather at Gandhi Maidan. Following this, Patna District Magistrate (DM) Chandrasekhar Singh warned that the state would take strict action against the protesters for gathering in a restricted area.

“Strict action will be taken against coaching institute owners who were found to be involved, in any manner, in the protests. Adequate security personnel have been deployed in and around Gandhi Maidan. Strict action will be taken against those who try to take the law into their own hands,” he said.

Videos show several students taking part in the protest and creating chaos, forcing the police to resort to lathi-charge and water canons to disperse the crowd. The authorities blocked the crowd and asked 5 of them to meet Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena to discuss the matter.

After this, Kishore left the protest site leaving the students divided by thoughts, half of whom favoured the offer. He indicated that the state was trying to suppress the rights of the students to protest. The BPSC protests have also garnered support from Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, Patna educators Khan Sir and Guru Rahman, and Independent Purnia MP Pappu Yadav. The BPSC official has taken cognizance of the event and clarified that there was evidence of late paper distribution at one of the exam centres in Patna where a re-examination has been ordered. “We cannot go by students’ allegations and cancel the examination held at all centres,” he said.

Following this, Kishore re-appeared on the site and asked the students to temporarily stop the protests. He said that 5 aspirants would meet the state board and address the issue. In the meantime, the BPSC has decided that the exam will be re-scheduled for around 12000 students on 4th January 2025.

The police have also booked Kishore and around 700 students for creating a ruckus in a restricted area. The police stated that Kishore initiated the protest and instigated the students to clash with the police before allegedly running away from the site.

The students have been charged with gathering people without authorization, inciting unrest, and causing disruptions to law and order. “Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party organized a protest march without official permission and led protestors near Gandhi Maidan, where violence broke out. Protesters reportedly damaged police equipment and engaged in clashes with officials”, the police official said.

Earlier, rumours were spread that the Patna police had detained Khan Sir, and Motiur Rahman alias Guru Rahman for extending support to the ongoing student protests. As per the viral rumours, the educators were detained after they joined the protests. However, the police later clarified that all such reports were misleading. The Police then also took action against those who spread the mischievous rumour, including an X (formerly Twitter) account called ‘Khan Global Studies’, and an FIR has been registered for the same.

After the protests, several students claimed that they were injured due to police action. They claimed that they were peacefully protesting for their rights and didn’t expect such action for raising their voices.

“We never expected the administration to do something like this…” said an aspirant as police used water cannons to disperse students marching illegally towards the CM’s residence.

The families of the students also slammed the police for alleged brutal action saying that they were suppressing the rights of the students to protest. The parents also raised their voices against corruption in the department and demanded justice for their children.

At present, a massive police force has been deployed at the Patna’s Gandhi Maidan and several other locations to maintain peace in the city amid the tensions. The police have stated that they were forced to resort to lathi-charge and the action was initiated only after asking the students to vacate the restricted area. “They were asked to vacate the area, but they didn’t. Following this, the authorities resorted to the use of lathi-charge and water canons,” Sahrawat said.

Join OpIndia's official WhatsApp channel

  Support Us  

Whether NDTV or 'The Wire', they never have to worry about funds. In name of saving democracy, they get money from various sources. We need your support to fight them. Please contribute whatever you can afford

Siddhi Somani
Siddhi Somani
Siddhi is known for her satirical and factual hand in Social and Political writing. After completing her PG-Masters in Journalism, she did a PG course in Politics. The author meanwhile is also exploring her hand in analytics and statistics. (Twitter- @sidis28)

Related Articles

Trending now

‘Bad Girl’ Tamil movie sparks online debate; netizens slam makers for showing Brahmin community negatively, details

The recent release of a teaser of a Tamil movie named 'Bad Girl' starring Anjali Sivaraman in the lead role has sparked a controversy with many stating that the film portrays the Brahmin community in a bad light.

PMK leader Ramalingam murder case: NIA arrests PFI members Abdul Majeeth and Shahul Hameed – Everything you need to know

The NIA's investigation into the Ramalingam murder case has spanned several years. At different intervals, the investigative agency achieved significant breakthroughs in the case. The matter was officially transferred to the NIA on 7th March 2019, following which the central investigative agency re-registered the case.
- Advertisement -