BPSC protest flares up, CS holds talks but to no avail

The agitation of BPSC aspirants demanding total cancellation of the 70th BPSC preliminary exam held on December 13 and a re-exam be ordered as they suspect the paper leak compromised the fairness of the exam has flared up sharply.

- Avinash Kumar

PATNA:

After police lathicharged and used water cannons on them on Saturday, a delegation of them met Chief Secretary and even reached Governor House to hand over a memorandum of their demands.

There was no news of a breakthrough in aspirants-administration talks by Sunday evening, but the flames of protest seemed to be spreading all across the state.

The Opposition political parties like RJD, Congress, Left parties and Jan Suraaj too have come out in open support of aspirants.

In Ara and Darbhanga, protestors stopped trains, causing a halt in services for an hour. Student organisations like All India Students' Association (AISA), the students' wing of CPI-ML and RYA (Revolutionary Youth Association) blocked roads in Ara, Samastipur, Buxar, Bettiah, Siwan, Begusarai resulting in significant traffic disruptions.

They demanded the cancellation of the 70th BPSC PT exam and re-announcement for a fresh exam.

On Sunday, activists of both organisations stopped 03376 (Buxar-Patna memu special train) at Ara railway junction for 25 minutes. The protest was led by state secretary of RYA and Agiaon MLA Shiv Prakash Ranjan.

A delegation of the students met with Bihar chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena and submitted a memorandum demanding cancellation of the exam.