Bihar students face police crackdown during march to CM’s residence over recruitment, exam irregularities
Patna: Students protesting over recruitment and examination issues in India’s Bihar state, which is ruled by a BJP-led coalition, clashed with police today as they marched towards the chief minister’s residence in Patna. Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters after they breached barricades.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a large number of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) job aspirants and other students began their pre-announced march from Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. The protesters reached the Dak Bungalow crossing, where police detained several participants.
The protesters jostled with police and broke through the barricades. Resultantly, police deployed water cannons. However, instead of retreating, some protesters danced in the water as police continued efforts to disperse the protesting students.
Heavy police deployment was put in place at major intersections across the city, with additional forces, including personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), deployed at Dak Bungalow crossing.
The students have been protesting in Patna’s Gardanibagh area for weeks. Their demands include a single-tier examination for BPSC-TRE 4, greater transparency in recruitment examinations by the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) and fair opportunities for Hindi-medium candidates. They have also called for the cancellation of the 70th BPSC examination, citing alleged irregularities.
Meanwhile, Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari said the state government had addressed the issues raised by BPSC aspirants and remained open to dialogue.
The protesters, however, maintained that several longstanding concerns over Bihar’s education and recruitment systems remained unresolved.
