New Delhi [India], December 26 : After Bihar Police resorted to "lathi-charge" on Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants who protested on Wednesday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha on Thursday said that the government should consider the demands of the students and stop such activities.
He called the lathi-charge on students as an "unfortunate" incident and said that the administration is presenting distorted facts.
Speaking to ANI, Jha said, "This is unfortunate. They are presenting facts after distorting it... There is evidence that the exam was held 50-45 minutes late at many places but the paper was taken on time. Isn't this injustice? Don't you consider it wrong? They are sitting peacefully and you go and lathicharge them as if they are on the border. They are not your enemies. If protests like emergency start happening today, will the government accept it? ...Who is running the government? Has the BJP taken over there through the officials? ...The government should consider the demands of the students and stop such activities..."
Earlier today, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said that they should not have done this and it is wrong.
"Aisa nahi karna chahiye tha. Galat baat hai (They shouldn't have done this. It's wrong)," Lalu said.
The BPSC aspirants on Wednesday gathered to "gherao" the commission's office in Patna, demanding the cancellation of the examination.
However, police department authorities issued a clarification, claiming that they used "mild force" and denied any injuries to the protesting aspirants.
Officials also claimed that coaching teachers were instigating aspirants to protest and named several social media accounts that were allegedly misleading the students.
"To cancel the preliminary examination of BPSC, aspirants have been continuously protesting at the Dharna Sthal in Gardanibagh since December 18. These students are being instigated, both directly and indirectly, by some teachers. Additionally, many social media handles are misleading and inciting the students," DSP Anu Kumari said.
"On December 23, a candidate vandalized the Gardanibagh Hospital. Today, on December 25, hundreds of BPSC aspirants surrounded the BPSC office. Law and order issues were created without permission, causing inconvenience to the public. The administration used mild force to disperse the gathering, and no one suffered any injuries," she added.
The DSP also said that an FIR has been filed at Gardanibagh police station under relevant sections against those who instigated aspirants, and further action is being taken.
Independent MP Pappu Yadav from Purnia joined the protest on Wednesday and urged opposition MPs and MLAs to support the students' cause.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, "We urge all opposition MPs and MLAs to join the protest. People should sit outside the residences of ruling party MPs and MLAs across Bihar. What is political about this? These students have been protesting for so many days, and their only demand is a re-examination."
Earlier, on Tuesday, BPSC Chairman Parmar Ravi Manubhai ruled out the cancellation of the 70th Integrated Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024, which was held earlier this month.
Notably, on Tuesday, YouTuber and educator Faisal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, visited the students participating in the hunger strike.