BPSC row: The anger among students against the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has escalated as they are demanding the cancellation of the exam conducted on December 13. However, the commission has outrightly rejected the demand. On Sunday, police in the state capital Patna used water cannons and mild force on protesting students, further fueling their anger. In response, students have announced a statewide bandh (shutdown) and road blockade in Bihar on Monday, with political parties extending their support to the movement.
CPI-ML extends support to protesting students
The CPI-ML (Communist Party of India – Marxist-Leninist) has announced its support for the December 30 road blockade called by students and youth. MLA Sandeep Saurabh has written to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, urging a re-examination. He has demanded that the entire exam be cancelled and conducted afresh, citing widespread irregularities and malpractices. Meanwhile, CPI-ML State Secretary Kunal criticised the government’s repressive and obstinate approach towards the ongoing student protests. The party has demanded immediate cancellation of the Preliminary Test (PT) and assured its support for the December 30 blockade.
What will remain closed and open during bandh?
So far, there has been no official announcement on what will remain open or closed during the Bihar shutdown. However, public transport, including rail and bus services, is likely to be disrupted as protestors may target major transportation facilities. Meanwhile, emergency services such as hospitals and ambulances will remain operational during the shutdown. As of now, the government has not issued any directives to shut down banks or government offices, which are expected to remain open on Monday.
Why are students protesting?
The candidates have been protesting for more than a week seeking the cancellation of the 70th Integrated Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination (CCE), 2024 conducted by the BPSC over allegations of question paper leak. The protesters have been staging a dharna at Gardani Bagh for several days. They contend that cancellation should be ordered across the board since re-examination for just one centre would go against the principle of "level playing field".
70th BPSC prelims examination
It should be noted here that the 70th BPSC Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination was held on December 13 which will recruit candidates for Group A and B posts. Around five lakh candidates appeared for the exam, which was conducted across 925 centres. The BPSC also clarified that no 'normalisation process' would be followed in the exam for which students were protesting.
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