Aspirants, police clash at BPSC protests; Prashant Kishore urges calm | Top updates

A minor scuffle broke out at Patna's Gandhi Maidan on Sunday between police and protesting aspirants over the demand of a re-examination of the 70th Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) preliminary exams.

The protesting students in Patna are demanding the cancellation of the Integrated Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024, which the BPSC conducted on December 13.

Jan Suraj chief Prashant Kishore, who joined the “Chatra Sansad” (students' congregation), accused the Bihar government of turning democracy into a “lathi-tantra” and emphasised student's right to protest in public spaces.

Also read | BPSC exam stalemate continues, students demand an audience with CM

BPSC Patna protests top updates

-The protesting aspirants gathered at the venue despite Patna district magistrate (DM) Chandrasekhar Singh's warning that he would not allow the “Chatra Sansad” called by Kishore. Singh had also warned of action against coaching institute owners who were found to be involved, in any manner, in the protests henceforth.

-Gaurav Kumar, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), also reached Gandhi Maidan, to hold talks with the protesting aspirants.

-“Gandhi Maidan is a public place. People go there every day. If the students do not have any place, they will go to a public place. I don't know why the government has made it a question of its prestige; somewhere, they are harming themselves,” Kishore told news agency ANI.

Also read | Police stop protestors demanding BPSC Prelims re-exam | In Pics

-Jan Suraj chief said that the state government had agreed to the demands of students to meet chief minister Nitish Kumar. “The government officials present here have assured us that the government has agreed to discuss the demands of the students, and the five-member students' committee will go and talk to the chief secretary right now so that some decision can be taken on the problems and demands of the students,” he said.

-Kishore also urged the protesting students not to resort to “illegal” means and to wait for the outcome of proposed talks with the chief secretary. “If the decision is not in favour of the students, if any injustice is done to them, then we will stand with them with full strength. I am with the students,” he added.

-The student bodies have called for a “chakka jam” (road blockade" on Monday, December 30. The CPI (M-L) Liberation, an alliance partner of the INDIA bloc, has decided to support the protest.

-The BPSC has ruled out conducting retests across 912 exam centres, citing “no genuine basis” for the charges. The commission has only agreed to conduct a retest at a centre in Patna’s Gyan Bhawan on January 4.

(With inputs from agencies)