Teacher recruitment exam aspirants protest near CM Nitish's residence; police resort to lathi-charge

Chaos erupted near the official residence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday when police baton-charged aspirants who had staged a sit-in demanding the release of supplementary results of a teacher recruitment exam. The demonstrators, demanding the release of the Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE-3) supplementary result, staged the protest outside the gates of the CM's residence on 1 Anne Marg. The entire area is a high-security zone and no such protest is allowed. A large number of protesters, carrying placards, raised slogans against the state government and the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), which conducted the exam. Anu Kumari, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Sachiwalay-1, requested the protesters to immediately vacate the area as such activities are restricted there. When the protesters refused to budge, police resorted to baton-charge to disperse the aspirants. The SDPO, however, refused to speak to reporters.

Protesters claimed that several persons were injured in the baton-charge, which the officials denied. One of the protesting candidates, Kriti Dutta, said they have been protesting in Gardanibagh area for the last four months. "We have approached everybody, from ministers to secretaries and MLAs but none provided us with any solution," she said. Another candidate said that the education minister had assured them that a letter had been sent to BPSC regarding the issue but nothing has been done so far. Despite repeated attempts, neither Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh nor Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Awakash Kumar were available for their comments on the incident and how the protesters managed to enter the high-security zone. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav condemned the lathi-charge on the protesting aspirants and expressed his solidarity with them. In a post on X, Yadav wrote, "We condemn police action on protesters today. When the youth demand justice, their voice is ruthlessly crushed... it has become the fashion of the NDA governments at the Centre and the state to crush the voice of the youth." "Students were protesting in a democratic manner today. This incompetent government nurtures and protects criminals and the corrupt, while it unleashes lathi charges on students, youths, and the unemployed. This is the time... people of the state should unite to change this incompetent government in the coming assembly polls in the state," he added. BPSC conducted the teacher recruitment exam in March 2024 and a total of 87,774 posts were announced under TRE-3. However, only around 51,000 candidates have received appointment letters so far. The authorities had earlier promised a supplementary result, but nothing has happened so far.