'Govt suppressing students’ right to protest': Prashant Kishor on BPSC row

PATNA: An FIR was filed at the Gandhi Maidan police station against 21 named people, including Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, for unauthorised assembly, incitement and disturbing public order.

A district administration official said strict action would be taken against those involved in disrupting law and order during protests by BPSC aspirants in the city.

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.

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.