Cane-charge and water cannons: Patna Police crack-down on BPSC aspirants' protest

Patna, Dec 29 (IANS) The protest by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants demanding a re-examination of the 70th Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) intensified on Sunday in Patna. The situation had come to such a pass that the police resorted to cane-charge and the use of water cannons. 

Thousands of students gathered at Gandhi Maidan, alleging irregularities in the December 13 exam, and later marched toward JP Golambar.

A heavy police presence was deployed to manage the escalating protests.

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor joined the protest. He has offered his full support to the protesting students and aspirants. Kishor had earlier called for a "Chhatra Sansad" (Student Parliament) at Gandhi Maidan on Saturday, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, to discuss students' demands and chart future actions.

However, the city administration denied permission for the event.

The protests, now entering 10th day, are primarily driven by allegations of a paper leak at the Bapu exam centre.

Although the BPSC conducted a re-examination at that centre, the commission maintains that the irregularities were isolated and do not justify cancelling the entire exam.

On Friday, BPSC Examination Controller Rajesh Kumar Singh reiterated the commission's position, stating that the 70th CCE exam would not be annulled under any circumstances.

He confirmed that the main examination would proceed as scheduled in April and urged candidates to focus on their preparations rather than continuing protests.

Singh also stated that the exam was conducted transparently and pointed out that only a small group of candidates were protesting, without any substantial evidence to support their allegations.

Despite BPSC's assertions, the protests show no signs of subsiding. Students remain resolute in their demand for a full cancellation of the exam.

Earlier this week, police in Patna resorted to cane-charges when protesting students attempted to enter the BPSC office. While BPSC has acknowledged the irregularities at the Patna centre, it maintains that the exam proceeded smoothly at over 900 other centres across the state without any issues.

Meanwhile, earlier, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) had announced the release of admit cards for the 70th Integrated Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination (CCE) 2024 re-exam.

The re-examination, scheduled for January 4, 2024, will only apply to approximately 12,000 candidates who appeared at the Bapu Campus Exam Centre in Patna on December 13, 2024.

--IANS

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