From Gandhi Maidan to chaos: Bihar students clash with police amid BPSC row

Bihar students protesting against the Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC) plans to conduct a single test for teacher recruitment clashed with police on Tuesday. The demonstrators, mostly aspiring teachers, marched from Gandhi Maidan under the banners of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). They aimed to picket the residences of Governor and Chief Minister Choudhary in Patna.

Several protesters were arrested as they reached Dak Bungalow crossing. The student organizations had been opposing the BPSC's decision to fill 33,000 teacher posts following a preliminary and main examination. Tight security was deployed from Gandhi Maidan to the Chief Minister's residence, with anti-riot Rapid Action Force, CRPF, and state police present in central Patna.

Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters at JP Golambar in Gandhi Maidan. Several policemen were injured, with Deputy Superintendent of Police Kamakhya Narayan Singh among those hurt. The protesters also scuffled with CRPF personnel at the Dak Bungalow roundabout. One student suffered head injuries, while another became unconscious.

Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma stated that they had repeatedly urged the crowd to maintain peace and that water cannons were used when the situation became tense. The march coincided with the CM's launch of the Vidhyarthi Sahyog Shivir (Student Support Camp), which would be held monthly on the fourth Tuesday in educational institutions to address complaints and improve facilities.