Patna, Bihar: Patna witnessed tense scenes on Tuesday as students protesting against the 70th Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination broke police barricades during a march from Gandhi Maidan towards Raj Bhavan. The protesters are demanding cancelation of the exam, alleging irregularities and paper leaks.
Police had placed barricades along the route to stop the crowd from entering the restricted area. However, the students attempted to push ahead, leading to a confrontation with security personnel. Officers on the ground warned the protesters that they would not be allowed to move further.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Kamakhya Narayan Singh said the police were prepared to stop the march if needed, while also expressing hope that the students would respond positively to talks with senior officials.
The protest is part of a wider agitation over competitive examinations in Bihar. Students have raised concerns not only about the 70th BPSC exam but also about proposed changes to the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE) 4.0.
They are demanding that TRE-4 be held in a single stage instead of two phases, opposing negative marking and asking for the official notification to be released.
Congress leader Sushil Kumar, who joined the protest, said the agitation also reflects broader anger over examinations conducted by the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) and police recruitment processes. He urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to meet a delegation of protesting students, saying some of them had already been on hunger strike for several days.
The issue also drew political attention after Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav wrote to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, urging the government to hold talks with the protesters. Yadav backed the demand for a single stage TRE-4 exam and called for greater transparency in recruitment tests.
At the same time, the Bihar government announced a new initiative called ‘Vidyarthi Sahyog Shivir’, or student support camps, which will be held every month at educational institutions. Students will also be able to submit complaints online and track them through a dedicated portal and helpline.
The protest in Patna adds to growing pressure on the state government to address concerns over competitive examinations and restore confidence among job aspirants.
