Police used force to disperse candidates protesting in Patna over the delay in releasing the Bihar Public Service Commission’s (BPSC) fourth phase teacher recruitment notification. This prompted sharp reactions from the Opposition, along with claims of excessive force.
Police Lathi charge on Bihar Teacher Job Protesters
The protest aimed to call for the release of the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE)-4 advertisement. It began in the morning when a large group of teaching job hopefuls marched from Patna College toward the BPSC office. Police had set up barricades near J P Golambar in the Gandhi Maidan police station area to stop the march.
According to the protesters, they were held back for nearly two hours, starting at 11:30 am, before tensions escalated. Police used batons after some protestors allegedly tried to break through the barricades. Several students, including women candidates, were hurt during the police action.
Police arrest protestors
Police detained several protestors and took them away in vans amid clashes with the protesters.
Later in the day, Patna Police reported that the procession became aggressive upon reaching J P Golambar. “The protestors broke police barricades and pushed policemen on law and order duty, which resulted in injuries to some police personnel, including the Town DSP-2,” a statement from the SSP’s office noted.
Police mentioned that they made repeated attempts to calm the crowd, but “the mob became uncontrollable and aggressive.” Consequently, “mild force was used in a restrained and controlled manner” to restore order.
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