BPSC protest: What led to clash between aspirants and Patna cops

PATNA: Chaos broke out near Gandhi Maidan here on Sunday evening as police resorted to lathi-charge and water cannons to disperse Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants demanding a re-examination for the 70th Combined Competitive Preliminary Examination (CCE Prelims). Clashes erupted near J P Golambar under the Gandhi Maidan police station area when protesters broke through barricades and marched toward the chief minister's residence, shouting anti-govt slogans. Several candidates were injured in the lathi-charge.

City superintendent of police (central), Sweety Sehrawat, said officers had asked the protesters to leave the area, but their requests were ignored. "The authorities expressed willingness to discuss the grievances of the protesters. However, when the protesters turned physically aggressive, water cannons were deployed and mild force was used to disperse the crowd," Sehrawat said. She added that an FIR would be lodged against some protesters for disrupting law and order. "Around 11-12 aggressive protesters were detained by the police," she added.

Patna district magistrate Chandrasekhar Singh declared Gandhi Maidan a restricted area, prohibiting student gatherings there. Following the dispersal of the crowd, police conducted area domination to maintain control.

The protest began Sunday morning with thousands of aspirants assembling near Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Gandhi Maidan despite the administration's denial of permission to protest at the site. Protesters alleged discrepancies in the Dec 13 examination and marched towards JP Golambar where barricades and heavy police deployment awaited them.

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor joined the demonstrators, walking alongside them during their march. Addressing the crowd, Kishor announced that a five-member student delegation would meet with the chief secretary to discuss their demands. "Officials confirmed their willingness to engage in discussions. If no substantial decisions are made, students will resume protests on Monday," he said, urging the demonstrators to pause their agitation temporarily.

Despite Kishor's appeal, the protesters continued marching towards the chief minister's residence, resulting in scuffles with police and subsequent baton charges. The aspirants insisted that their only demand was a re-exam, refusing to be drawn into political debates.

The protests have continued for over 12 days, triggered by allegations of a paper leak at the Bapu Examination Centre in Kumhrar. Aspirants claimed the "irregularities" compromised the exam's fairness. Although the BPSC arranged a fresh examination for candidates at that centre, officials maintained that the discrepancies were localised and did not warrant cancelling the entire exam.

The commission has scheduled a re-test on Jan 4, 2025, at a different centre in Patna for around 12,000 candidates.

Earlier on Sunday, Kishor criticised the govt for "suppressing" students' right to protest. "Bihar is the birthplace of democracy and students are being denied their fundamental right to express themselves. The govt has turned democracy into ‘lathi-tantra' (rule of batons). This is why I stand in solidarity with the students," Kishor told reporters.

He added, "Students naturally gather in public spaces like Gandhi Maidan when no designated area is provided for them. Treating this as a matter of prestige is counterproductive and self-damaging for the govt."