Supporters of Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, better known as Pappu Yadav, staged widespread demonstrations across Patna on Sunday, enforcing a ‘Bihar Bandh’ to protest alleged irregularities in the Bihar Public Service Commission’s (BPSC) Combined Competitive Examination held on 13 December 2024.
The protesters gathered near Patna Science College in the morning, stopping vehicles to enforce the bandh called by the Purnea MP.
Demonstrators burnt effigies of senior BPSC officials on Ashok Rajpath and squatted on roads at key locations, including Dak Bungalow Crossing, disrupting traffic in the state capital.
Yadav claimed support for the bandh from Azad Samaj Party leader Chandra Shekhar Azad.
The agitation aimed to press for the cancellation of the contentious examination.
Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh assured residents that “adequate security personnel have been deployed at different locations in the city to ensure smooth movement of vehicles. As of now, things are completely under control.”
The protests come amidst a growing outcry over the BPSC examination, with Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor also staging a ‘fast unto death’ since 2
January, demanding the cancellation of the 13 December test.
Kishor, who was recently discharged from a hospital after health concerns, has continued his hunger strike.
While the state government has dismissed allegations of malpractice, a fresh test was conducted for over 12,000 candidates who had appeared at a centre in Patna during the original examination.
Follow us
