Bihar: Protest for cancellation of BPSC 70th CCE Photo: PTI Bihar: Protest for cancellation of BPSC 70th CCE Photo: PTI

A Delhi-based tutor was held on Thursday on the charge of instigating aspirants who tried to "storm into" the Bihar Public Service Commission office in Patna that led to police allegedly resorting to baton charge when chaos erupted at the protest site. dc188

The BPSC job aspirants were protesting an alleged leak of a question paper of the December 13 combined preliminary exams.

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Some of the job seekers have claimed that several protesters were injured during the police action but a senior officer denied the charge.

The Congress condemned the police action on job aspirants, while Independent MP from Purnea Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav called for a Bihar bandh on January 1, 2025, if the December 13 combined preliminary examination is not cancelled.

The job aspirants have been demanding cancellation of the preliminary examination of the BPSC after a question paper leak of the December 13 exam and requested the commission to announce a fresh date for the test at the earliest.

Protesters alleged that question papers were leaked before the examination started at certain centres.

Also Read | Police Disperse Protesting BPSC Aspirants With Mild Force In Patna

Delhi Tutor Held For 'Instigating' Protests

Patna's District Magistrate (DM) Chandrasekhar Singh told PTI that preliminary investigations into Wednesday's protests found that one Rohit, a tutor, mobilised and instigated the aspirants.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra said, "Initial investigations have revealed that Rohit had come from Delhi and brought along a number of persons, including girls, posing as disgruntled BPSC aspirants. He is being examined by the investigators."

The source of their funding is also being investigated as they seem to be part of a larger conspiracy, he said.

"We are probing the larger conspiracy behind yesterday's incident. What is the source of funding for those who came from outside the state to instigate BPSC aspirants is also the focus of our probe. Rohit seems to be the mastermind of yesterday's protest. Patna Police will send a preliminary report to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) to investigate their source of funding," he told PTI.

What Did Patna Police Say?

A police officer told the media that a group of protesters marched towards the Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC) office to press their demands, and a confrontation between police personnel and the job seekers began after they were stopped.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra told PTI, "A group of protestors, including job aspirants, gathered near the commission’s office on Bailey Road in the second half on Wednesday. They wanted to proceed towards the BPSC office, which the police did not allow. Some of them managed to reach the BPSC office and disrupted the movement of traffic.

"Despite repeated requests by the security personnel, they refused to vacate the road. It is a restricted area where protests are not allowed. Finally, mild force, including baton charge was used to disperse the protestors," he added.

The police have registered a case against protestors in connection with Wednesday’s incident.

The SSP also said, “All protesters were asked to organise their protest at Gardani Bagh, the dedicated place for dharna. It is learnt that they (protestors) called ambulances on their own and some of them got themselves admitted to the nearest government hospital. The police have no official information in this regard as no one was injured in the action."

"A girl in a purported video was verified with nearby hospitals and was found to have admitted herself to PMCH. According to the attending doctor, no visible injuries were observed. Additionally, an X-ray examination of her arm was conducted, which confirmed the absence of any fracture or injury," the police officer reportedly said.

What Are Protesters Alleging?

Protesters claimed that several job seekers were injured in the baton charge, which the SSP denied.

SSP said, "As far as information we have, no protester sustained any injury. Mild force was used to disperse them."

Video clips of the police action against job aspirants went viral on social media with some showing personnel chasing and beating up protesters, including women.

PTI reported that some of the protesters have alleged that they were "treated like terrorists" by the police.

"We were mercilessly beaten up by the police as if we are terrorists," said an anonymous protester told PTI.

Some women reached the Gardani Bagh protest site wearing bangles.

“We have brought bangles for the BPSC officials”, a woman protester told PTI.

Also Read | Bihar: BPSC Announces Fresh Exam Dates For Teacher Recruitment Examination Amid Paper Leak Row

Political Parties React

Reacting to the baton charge by the police on job aspirants, the Independent MP from Purnea called for a Bihar bandh on January 1, if the December 13 combined preliminary exam is not cancelled.

"If the BPSC does not cancel its December 13 exam, we will call a Bihar bandh on January 1, 2025. I demand immediate cancellation of the December 13 exam….if it is not cancelled in a day or two, my supporters will call the bandh. Police baton charges on protesters are highly condemnable," Yadav said.

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The Bihar Congress also condemned the police action on job aspirants on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters, Bihar Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore said, “The state government and the BPSC must accept students' demand. Our party condemn Wednesday's police action against them”.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claimed that the NDA government is "resorting to lathi-charging students" to hide its own failures.

In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "I had said in Parliament that in the same way that Eklavya's thumb was cut off, the thumbs of the youth were being chopped off by paper leaks."

"The latest example of this is Bihar. BPSC candidates are raising their voice against the paper leak and demanding cancellation of the exam. But to hide its failure, the NDA government is instead resorting to lathi-charge on the students," the former Congress chief said.

"This is extremely shameful and condemnable. Playing with the future of students will not be tolerated. We are with them and will fight to get them justice," he said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the BJP over the police action, saying the ruling party's only vision is to save its chair and whoever demands employment is oppressed.

"Lathi charge on youths who had their hands folded is the height of cruelty. In BJP rule, youths demanding employment are beaten with sticks. Be it UP, Bihar or Madhya Pradesh - if youths raise their voice, they are brutally beaten," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on her WhatsApp channel.

"It is the government's job to think about the future of the youth of the world's youngest country and make policies for it. But the BJP only has the vision of saving its chair," she said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal condemned the police action on students and the leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav said, "Till a few months ago, NDA leaders used to call Nitish Kumar mentally unwell... they used to say that the CM was suffering from some serious illness... Now the same BJP-LJP-HAM leaders are accepting his dictatorial decisions and justifying brutal police action against BPSC aspirants."

"Nitish Kumar calls himself a disciple of socialist icon Jayprakash Narayan, but hates democratic protests," he added.

BPSC chairman Parmar Ravi Manubhai on Tuesday ruled out the cancellation of the entire exam.

He, however, made it clear that BPSC would conduct a re-examination of candidates who appeared for the test at the Bapu Pariksha Parisar centre in Patna on December 13.

Manubhai announced that the re-examination would be held on January 4, 2025.

The BPSC recently cancelled its combined preliminary examination held at Bapu Pariksha Parisar in Patna's Kumhrar locality, where an on-duty official died of a heart attack after a ruckus was created by "unruly" candidates on December 13.

The commission also served show-cause notices to 34 aspirants, who were allegedly part of the disruption created at Bapu Pariksha Parisar centre.

(With PTI inputs)dc188