The movement of different student organizations in Patna, the capital of Bihar, intensified on Tuesday (25 August). A large number of students have come out on the streets with their various demands and are preparing to march towards Lok Bhawan. At this time, a tense situation arose at the spot as the protesters tried to break the barricades put up by the police. Student organizations have already announced to surround the Chief Minister's residence.
In view of the proposed march of students, a large number of police forces have already been deployed in Patna. Additional police personnel and officers have been deployed on the roads leading to Lok Bhawan, including Gandhi Maidan, JP Golbar, Dakbungla Chowk and Ayak Golbar. Special barricading has been done with iron sheets at Dakbungla Chowk.
The protesting students are continuously gathering near the barricades and trying to move towards Lok Bhawan. The police is trying to stop them. A team of water cannon and Thunderbolt vehicles has also been kept ready to prevent any untoward incident. Police officials have been instructed to maintain law and order by keeping an eye on the activities of the protesters.
The main demands of the students include cancellation of negative marking in the teacher recruitment examination TRE-4 of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) and conducting the examination in a single phase. In the talks held between the government and student unions on Monday, no agreement could be reached on these two demands. After this, the students decided to protest on Tuesday as per the pre-planned programme.
On Monday, on the instructions of the government, officials including the Education Secretary, Patna District Collector and Senior Superintendent of Police held talks with representatives of student unions for two to three hours. Consensus was reached on many issues. However, some major demands including cancellation of negative marking in TRE-4 and conducting the examination in a single phase remained unresolved. Other demands of the students include announcement of the date of BSSC Inter Level exam, cancellation of the 70th BPSC exam and investigation into the recruitment process of Inspector General.
Also read-
- Hijab cannot be worn with school uniform!