Police in Patna used water cannons and gentle drive on Sunday to disperse protesters demanding the cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Fee (BPSC) examination held on December 13. The protests, which started earlier within the day at Gandhi Maidan, noticed college students joined by Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishore earlier than escalating right into a march in direction of the chief minister’s residence. The scenario intensified when protesters tried to breach barricades close to JP Golumber, prompting police motion. “Water cannons and gentle drive have been used to disperse protesters who had blocked visitors by mendacity on the roads,” stated District Justice of the Peace Chandrashekhar Singh.
A number of protesters have been detained, and an FIR was registered in opposition to 21 recognized people, together with Prashant Kishore, Jan Suraaj celebration president Manoj Bharti, metropolis tutor Ramanshu Mishra, and 600-700 unidentified individuals for defying administrative warnings and organizing an unauthorized gathering at Gandhi Maidan. “The protesters gathered at Gandhi Maidan regardless of being warned that any demonstration there could be deemed unauthorized,” the DM added.
Prashant Kishore, who addressed the scholars for an hour, criticized Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for prioritizing a non-public go to to Delhi over addressing the grievances of aspirants. “The CM doesn’t have time to hearken to the protesting aspirants. The protest will proceed till their demand for the cancellation of the examination is met. I’m at all times with the scholars,” Kishore stated. He urged that college students undertake a “relay quick” method to maintain their protest whereas minimizing well being dangers.
The protest stems from allegations of a query paper leak through the 70th Built-in Mixed Aggressive Examination (CCE). Protesters argue that conducting a re-examination in just one middle is unfair, given the widespread nature of the alleged leak. A protesting BPSC aspirant expressed disappointment within the authorities’s response. “We by no means anticipated the federal government to deal with us like this. We’re preventing for our rights, not for political beneficial properties,” the coed stated.
The district administration has said that the federal government is delicate to the considerations of the youth. The chief secretary agreed to satisfy a five-member delegation of BPSC aspirants to debate their grievances, however the protestors have been reportedly unable to arrange a delegation. “The federal government has been responsive. A gathering with senior officers was organized, however the protestors appeared disorganized,” the DM defined.
In the meantime, two Patna-based tutors, Ramanshu Mishra and Rohan Anand, have been arrested on fees of inciting the protests. “Each tutors are out on conditional bail and are present process medical therapy,” a senior police official stated. The protest, which started with college students in search of justice for what they name an unfair examination course of, has now drawn political figures and public consideration. Whereas the administration has referred to as for dialogue, the scholars have vowed to proceed their battle till their calls for are met.
