Patna student protest: Aspirants clash with police, break barricades during march

Protesting students clashed with police in Patna on Tuesday (August 25) as they broke through police barricades while marching towards Raj Bhavan and the Bihar Chief Minister's residence. Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters, and several students were detained.

Students push through barricades

The demands of the students who have been protesting in Patna's Gardanibagh area for weeks include a single-tier BPSC TRE-4 examination, transparency in recruitment examinations through the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), and fair opportunities for Hindi-medium candidates.

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They have also demanded cancellation of the 70th BPSC examination, citing alleged irregularities and paper leaks.

The demonstration began at Gandhi Maidan, where BPSC TRE-4 aspirants joined other students for the pre-announced march. The protesters reached Dak Bungalow crossing, where police blocked their route. Students carrying the tricolour pushed against the barricades and broke through them.

Police warn protesters

DSP Kamakhya Narayan Singh said police would prevent the protesters from entering the restricted area.

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"We will stop them; we won't let them proceed further. However, the dialogue has been positive, and we hope the students will agree. They have raised several issues with the senior officials, and the outcome has been positive. So, I expect the turnout to be lower and that they will agree. If they don't, we will stop them right here. We won't allow them to enter the restricted area,” said Singh as quoted by ANI.

Government says demands addressed

Later in the day, Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari told reporters that the government had addressed the students' concerns and remained open to dialogue.

"All the issues over which the students were staging a sit-in 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,” said Tiwari.

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"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," he added.

However, protesters claimed that their concerns over recruitment delays and paper leaks remained unresolved. “Three recruitment drives were announced through the BSSC, but it has been three years. We have repeatedly besieged the BSSC commission, demanding that the exam dates be announced. Despite this, they keep asking for 15 days. Apart from the BPSC, there isn't a single commission in Bihar that issues an annual calendar," said Vikas Bhatt, a protester.

(With agency inputs)