Bihar Police Wednesday lathi charged aspirants of the state SSC graduate level joint preliminary test demanding cancellation of all sittings of the examination after the first one was annulled.
Neither any policeman nor any demonstrator was injured in the incident and five agitators were detained, a senior police official said.
The first three sittings of the examination for recruitment of secretarial level staff in government departments were held on December 23 and 24 last year and the first one was cancelled after reports of question paper leak on social media platforms.
Patna senior superintendent of police, Mananvjit Singh Dhillon told PTI that the agitators had gathered at Jamal Road crossing here around noon and blocked the thoroughfares, prompting the police to intervene.
"It was a huge crowd and they could not be allowed to proceed further. They tried to proceed toward the Bihar Staff Selection Commission's (BSSC) office. Mild use of force was resorted to as they refused to disperse despite an offer that a five-member delegation can visit the BSSC office along with a magistrate and submit a memorandum," he said.
The protestors clashed with the police and pelted stones at security personnel. "The security personnel was then forced to resort to mild lathi charge to disperse the protesters,” the SSP said.
The agitators later told reporters that the question papers of the first three sittings of the BSSC examination were leaked on several social media platforms hours before the tests began. While the Commission cancelled the examination of the first one, they demanded that the BSSC cancel all.
BSSC officials could not be reached for their comments despite repeated attempts.
Advertisement
Senior RJD leader and state Environment Minister Tej Pratap Yadav expressed anguish over the lathi-charge on BSSC aspirants and assured that the government will take action against those involved in the question paper leak.
The opposition BJP has condemned the lathi-charge. In a statement, senior party leader and former chief minister of the state Tarkishore Prasad said, “The government must accept demands of the aspirants and cancel all sittings of the combined graduate-level exams”.
