Protesters Block Roads, Burn Tyres Over Railway Exam In Bihar Bandh

Bihar bandh: A passenger train was set on fire and another was attacked with stones in Bihar in violent protests by students on January 26

Protesters blocked roads in Bihar's capital Patna and other places in the state today after opposition parties called a bandh over alleged "irregularities" in the Railway Recruitment Board exam. Several students' groups including the All-India Students Association, or AISA, have called the Bihar bandh.

A passenger train was set on fire and another was attacked with stones in Bihar in violent protests by students against the railway jobs exam on a day the country celebrated Republic Day.

The protests involved the Railway Recruitment Board's Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB-NTPC) exam 2021. Students have opposed a decision by the railways to hold the exam in two stages, claiming that the second stage is unfair to those who have cleared the first stage, results for which were released on January 15.

Some 1.25 crore candidates had applied for the exams that had advertised over 35,000 posts from level 2 to level 6, with starting pay ranging from Rs 19,900 to Rs 35,400 per month. Around 60 lakh people appeared for the exam.