Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the NDA government in Bihar after police resorted to a lathi-charge on Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants protesting in Patna over the alleged leak of a question paper of the December 13 combined preliminary exam conducted by the Commission and demanding re-examination.
“I had said in Parliament that in the same way that Eklavya’s thumb was cut off, in the same way the thumbs of the youth are cut off by leaking the papers,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
Sharing the video of the police brutality, Gandhi said, “This is extremely shameful and reprehensible. Playing with the future of students will not be tolerated. We are with them and will fight to get them justice.”
“The latest example of this is Bihar. BPSC candidates are raising their voices against the paper leak and demanding cancellation of the exam. But to hide its failure, the NDA government is instead resorting to lathi-charge on the students,” the Congress leader said.
Chaos ensued during a protest on Wednesday regarding the alleged leak of a question paper for the December 13 combined preliminary exam organized by the BPSC, leading to a baton charge by state police on job aspirants. Protesters alleged that multiple participants were injured during the police action, a claim that was refuted by a senior police officer.
The Congress party condemned the police’s treatment of the job aspirants, while Independent MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, threatened a Bihar bandh on January 1, 2025, if the December 13 exam is not canceled.
A group of demonstrators attempted to march towards the BPSC office to voice their demands, resulting in a confrontation with police after their passage was obstructed.
According to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra, a gathering of protestors, including job aspirants, assembled near the BPSC office on Bailey Road in the afternoon, seeking to advance towards the office. Despite being stopped by police, some protesters managed to reach the BPSC office, disrupting traffic flow.
The SSP stated, “Despite repeated requests from security personnel, they refused to clear the roadway. This is a restricted area where protests are not permitted. As a result, mild force, including a baton charge, was utilized to disperse the crowd.” Following the incident, police filed a case against the protesters.
While protesters contended that many job seekers were injured during the baton charge, the SSP maintained that no injuries were reported.
“As far as we know, no protester suffered any injuries. Mild force was applied to disperse the crowd,” he affirmed.
Videos of the police’s actions, including some depicting officers pursuing and striking protesters, including women, circulated widely on social media.