BPSC 70th cancellation, TRE-4 single-tier demand trigger student protests; cops detain several

Hundreds of students broke through police barricades to stage a 'gherao' outside the Bihar deputy chief minister’s residence Samrat Choudhary house, demanding the cancellation of BPSC 70th and a single-tier conduct of the TRE-4 examination.

Students began their pre-announced march from Patna's Gandhi Maidan and reached the Dak Bungalow crossing, where police deployed water cannons, resorted to lathi charge, and also detained several individuals, a video shared by IANS on X reveals.

While talking to the media, a former student leader said she was sent to jail during the protest regarding BPSC and alleged that she has been detained thousands of times and has at least 10 cases registered against her.

She added: “The BJP government has a personal vendetta against us. When the elections were being held in Bakepur, I was attacked by BJP goons. Now, I have been arrested by BJP goons. We are fighting for the students."

Several of the protestors were also seen carrying the tricolour in their hands, jostling with the police and breaking through barricades at the Dak Bungalow crossing.

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Patna Protest: Students’ concern over exam irregularities

Students have raised concerns over the alleged paper leaks, exam irregularities, and employment-related issues.

A female student expressed her concerns regarding the exam process in the state and demanded transparency and accountability from the exam-conducting body, BPSC, over the allegations of paper leak. The student also alleged that three students have been on a hunger strike for the past three days.

Protestors are seeking changes in the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE) 4.0 selection process and action on issues related to the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), and sub-inspector recruitment.

Students' protest in Patna outside CM's residence. (Image: PTI)

Aspirants have been protesting at Patna's Gardanibagh area for weeks, with their main demands including a single-tier exam TRE 4 and transparency in the recruitment process. Citing irregularities in the 70th BPSC exams, the protesting students demanded that the exam be cancelled.

Another student demanding the cancellation of the 70th BPSC examination while speaking to IANS said: "After the document verification, the rules were changed. If the rules had to be changed, a notification should have been issued at the time of recruitment... Concerned authorities changed the rules after our document verification and then removed us."

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‘Get issues resolved’: Bihar education minister’s message to students

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav, wrote to deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary over the ongoing BPSC protests and urged the government to resolve the issues faced by students.

On the other hand, the state education minister Mithilesh Tiwari said that issues over which students were staging have been resolved.

“It is not as if the student agitation was the sole reason for this; it is the government's very intent to resolve the problems faced by our youth in a timely manner. We have addressed every issue raised by the youth,” the CM said.

The minister also remarked that he was “surprised” to hear a person who has not attempted the board exam offering suggestions on exams.

“That is why I would say to Tejashwi Yadav to enroll in a Bihar government school, pass the tenth-grade exam, and then come back to offer us suggestions on examinations..."

He also added that the government is ready to listen to students' demands and said: "We have met almost all the students' demands. For any students who wish to convey further points to the government, the doors for dialogue remain wide open. Let the students come, talk, and get their issues resolved; the government belongs to them..."