Patna: A day after being lathi-charged and water cannoned by the police, a delegation of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates met Bihar Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena here today.
The aspirants demanded a re-examination of the preliminary test conducted by the BPSC across all 912 centres of Bihar. They cited concerns over potential paper leaks and other malpractices and asked for a probe into the alleged irregularities in the examination. They further demanded the withdrawal of FIRs against over a dozen students.
Not much headway could be made and after meeting the Chief Secretary, candidates told newspersons that they did not get any firm assurance or timeline for addressing their demands.
“We tried to convince him that there should be a right to equality for all students. A fresh examination for about 18,000 candidates at a Patna centre was not fair. Also, FIRs lodged against students for alleged ruckus at a Patna centre should be withdrawn,” a student who was present in the meeting, was quoted by media.
RK Mishra, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and leader of the Jan Suraaj Party, organized the meeting between the students and chief secretary Meena.
Hundreds of candidates have been in agitation in support of their demand since December 18, 2024. The Chief Secretary assured them that all their justified demands would be considered and also asked them to maintain peace.
Yesterday, the protest escalated as thousands of students marched towards the Chief Minister’s residence, leading to confrontations with law enforcement.
The police’s use of force has drawn criticism from various quarters, including political leaders and civil society groups, who condemned the actions as an infringement on democratic rights.
In response to the allegations, BPSC Secretary Satya Prakash Sharma stated that the commission has no plans to conduct a re-examination, citing a lack of credible evidence regarding the purported irregularities. He emphasized that no official reports of malpractice, such as paper leaks, had been received from any district.
The situation remained tense, with students continuing to demand transparency and fairness in the examination process. The incident has sparked a broader debate on the conduct of competitive examinations and the treatment of protesting students in Bihar.
Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), also gave the state administration a 48-hour deadline to address the issue or face a more forceful protest by the students. Kishor claimed earlier in the day that he had learned that thousands of millions of rupees had been exchanged to fill the open positions through the BPSC exam. He further said that he was surprised by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s “silence” during the candidates’ protests, during which they braved water cannons and police baton assaults, in biting cold. However, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party, today filed an FIR against Prashant Kishore, accusing him of instigating students in Patna and defaming the government.
The preliminary test was held on December 13, 2024, as BPSC cancelled the exam at a Patna centre following allegations that there was a delay in distributing the question papers.
– global bihari bureau
