Row over BPSC paper ‘leak’ refuses to die down; Prashant Kishor, online educators back protesters
The Hindu
Ongoing protests in Patna over BPSC exam paper leak gain momentum with support from Prashant Kishor and educators.
The ongoing protests by civil service aspirants in Patna over the alleged paper leak of the 70th Integrated Combined Competitive Examination conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) gained momentum on Friday with founder of Jan Suraaj Party Prashant Kishor and popular online educators extending their support.
The protesters, who have been holding a sit-in at Gardanibagh for several days, are demanding a re-exam of the test conducted on December 13 at 912 centres across the State.
However, on Friday, the commission ruled out retests, citing “no genuine basis” for the charges. The BPSC has only agreed to conduct a retest on January 4, 2025, at a centre in Patna’s Gyan Bhawan, where some students alleged that they did not receive question papers due to a short supply.
Prashant Kishor, who visited the protest site on Thursday, had issued a three-day ultimatum to the Nitish Kumar government to resolve the issues related to the BPSC exam. He extended support to the protesters and said he would be “at the forefront” of the agitation.
On Friday, Mr. Kishor said: “In Bihar, lok tantra (democracy) has transformed into lathi (baton) tantra over the last one to two years. The government should meet the protesting students or their representatives and consider their demand for re-exam.”
Popular educator and YouTuber Faizal Khan, aka Faizal Khan, and Patna-based popular vlogger Motiur Rahman Khan, aka Guru Rahman, also visited the protest site on Friday and expressed their support for the aspirants. However, some protesters objected to their presence, alleging that they had come to “hijack” the agitation.
The protests had turned violent on Wednesday when the police baton-charged the aspirants, injuring some of them. A Delhi-based tutor, Rohit Kumar, was arrested on Thursday on charges of “instigating” the protesters. Patna District Magistrate Chandrasekhar Singh said preliminary investigations found that the tutor had “mobilised and instigated” the aspirants.
Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 released by Indian government to enforce data protection principles and regulations.
Energy Minister K.J. George on Friday instructed officials to focus on power exchange instead of power purchase during the upcoming summer season to ensure quality power supply across the State.
Fishermen association members, who participated in the fishermen grievance redress meeting held at the District Collectorate in Nagercoil on Friday, sought issuance of subsidy for diesel and implementation of advanced technologies and establishment of control rooms on the shore for rescuing fishermen during emergencies at sea.
Kerala State School Arts Festival: A grand event showcasing talents of 15,000 students in 249 events across 25 venues.
Madurai District Photo Today Expo offers photography and videography equipment, spare parts, and repair services till Sunday.
Andhra Pradesh government in haste to implement categorisation of Scheduled Castes, alleges senior Congress leader Chinta Mohan
Opposition leaders protest Karnataka bus fare hike, accusing government of cheating people through increased taxes and tariffs.
Researchers develop captive breeding protocol for endangered black-collared yellow catfish in Chalakudy river, aiding conservation efforts in Western Ghats.
Another iconic restaurant in Bengaluru – Hotel Ajantha – shut its doors on December 31, 2024. The restaurant, located in the heart of the city on M.G. Road, was established 54 years ago in 1971.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has requested its scientists to ensure that new crop varieties were at least climate resilient.
Forest Department brings in kumki elephants to chase wild elephants damaging agricultural land in Kannivadi Forest Reserve.