BPSC Protest: Why are the students angry, know what is the matter of protest against Bihar Public Service Commission?

BPSC Protests 2024: Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) had conducted the preliminary examination of 70th Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) on December 13 at more than 900 centres. A center in Patna, named Bapu Examination Complex, had to cancel the examination after reports of alleged paper leak and ruckus. Since then, protests against BPSC have increased, with many students and politicians demanding re-examination. Protests continue in Bihar, let us know what is this matter and what has happened regarding it in the last 2 weeks?

The story started with the uproar at ‘Bapu Examination Complex’ in Patna…

On December 13, when the exams began at all centers across the state, one center in Patna – Bapu Examination Complex – faced problems in the exam conduct process. Around 12:30 pm on December 13, BPSC officials were informed about complaints of some students creating ruckus in the examination.
According to BPSC Chairman Parmar Ravi Manubhai, some people, in the guise of being students, started snatching the question papers from the invigilators at the same time the question papers were being distributed and started shouting that the question paper had already gone viral on the internet. This allegation of paper leak has been rejected by BPSC as they claim that the students who have been sitting in the examination hall for the last 15-20 minutes cannot know that the question paper has gone viral.

After this, the candidates ran out of the examination hall with the envelope containing the question paper and threw it on the other side of the wall to give it to some people waiting outside. These candidates did not have mobile phones or internet, so they took the help of people outside the wall to upload the question paper on social media platforms like X, Telegram, WhatsApp. By 1 pm, several photocopies of the question paper had been circulated online and offline.
On December 13, around three hundred candidates in an examination hall of Bapu Pariksha Bhavan did not receive any question paper despite repeated requests to the authorities. Students who were not given question papers created a ruckus and demanded that no one should be allowed to take the exam. Some candidates who were taking the examination were forcefully threatened by some other people by coming to the examination center and not answering the questions. The papers of the candidates were snatched and due to this many candidates could not appear in the examination.

BPSC’s decision regarding Bapu examination complex:

On December 13, the Commission assured the candidates that the CCTV footage available from the Center will be investigated and strict criminal action will be taken against those who tried to create problems for all the candidates. In a full-bench meeting regarding the chaos at the Bapu Examination Complex on December 19, it was decided to cancel the examination at the Bapu Examination Complex Center and re-conduct the examination on January 4, 2025.

Student protests and demands?

Bihar Public Service Commission says that the examination was conducted well at all the centers except one, whereas the candidates are raising objection about re-conducting the examination at only one centre. Students say this will bring back score normalization – a practice against which BPSC candidates have already protested. Demonstrations are going on regarding this since December 13.
Some popular teachers as well as Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishor joined the protesters in Patna. Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav and MP Pappu Yadav also supported the demand of the students. The protest involving hundreds of protesters took an ugly turn on Sunday. The police had to resort to water cannons and lathi charge to disperse them.