BPSC protest in Bihar: Opposition senses opportunity amid students' face-off with govt

Aspirants stage a protest demanding cancellation of Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC) December 13 combined preliminary exam over the alleged paper leak in Patna. (PTI Photo)

A row over the students' protest against alleged irregularities in the in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) preliminary examination boiled over on Sunday as Bihar Police used water cannons and resorted to a lathi charge to disperse hundreds of civil service aspirants agitating over their demands. The clash occurred near Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence in Patna when protesters attempted to breach barricades.

The demonstrators, who have been staging protests since December 18, are demanding the cancellation and re-conduct of the BPSC prelims held on December 13 across 912 centers. Students have levelled allegations of non-functional CCTV cameras, faulty jammers and delayed distribution of question papers at test centres.

The BPSC, however, has only agreed to reschedule the exam for candidates from one Patna center where an official passed away due to a heart attack amid chaos.

Understanding the boiling students protest

The recruitment process, which began with an advertisement in September 2024, attracted 4,83,000 applicants. Of these, 3,25,000 candidates appeared for the examination, competing for 2,031 posts, including 200 Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) and 136 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs). The scale of this vacancy has made the controversy particularly contentious.

Opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, CPI (M-L) and Jan Suraaj, have rallied behind the students, accusing the government of mishandling the examination process and jeopardising the future of aspirants. The BPSC has dismissed the allegations as "irrational", urging candidates to focus on preparing for the mains examination.

With nearly 3.8 lakh candidates having appeared for the December 13 prelims, the controversy has put the future of thousands in limbo. The BPSC and the Bihar government face mounting pressure to address the grievances of the aspirants and ensure a fair resolution to the crisis.

Prashant Kishor joins protesters

On Sunday afternoon, thousands of students gathered near Patna’s Gandhi Maidan when poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor held a ‘Youth Congress Samvad’. During the four-hour long interaction, Kishor criticised the BPSC for rescheduling the exam for only one center despite complaints of irregularities across multiple venues.

“How can BPSC reschedule the examination for just one center? There should be a level playing field amid complaints of delayed distribution of question papers, non-functional CCTV cameras and jammers at several other centers. Students are justified in seeking fresh prelims for all 912 examination centers,” Kishor said.

As protesters marched toward the Chief Minister’s residence, police personnel, heavily deployed near the JP roundabout, initially attempted to disperse the crowd with warnings. When the protesters forcibly removed barricades, police responded with water cannons and a lathi charge, injuring several demonstrators.

Prashant Kishor, who was sitting in a dharna with the candidates, managed to evade police action. However, an FIR was lodged against him and 19 others at the Gandhi Maidan Police Station.

Several injured protesters were taken to a nearby government hospital for treatment.

After being blocked from reaching the Chief Minister’s residence, the Patna administration offered a delegation of five aspirants the opportunity to meet Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena. The protesters, however, were divided over whether to accept the offer.

Amid the confusion, Kishor reportedly left the protest site, but the students vowed to continue their agitation until their demands were met.

Later today (December 30), Kishor alleged large-scale corruption in the recruitment process, claiming that “thousands of crores of rupees have changed hands” for appointments through the BPSC exam.

Expressing dismay at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence, Kishor said, “The candidates are protesting in biting cold, braving baton charges and water cannons. The Chief Minister is away in Delhi, enjoying himself and hasn’t uttered a word about the stir that has been ongoing for nearly two weeks.”

A former close aide of Nitish Kumar, Kishor further criticised the CM for ignoring the plight of students and demanded the cancellation of the prelims and a fresh examination. On Monday, he announced an indefinite stir beginning January 2 to pressure the government into accepting the students' demands.