PATNA: A delegation of BPSC candidates demanding a re-examination of the preliminary test conducted by the BPSC across all 912 centres of Bihar on Monday met Bihar chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena but not much headway could be made.
Hundreds of candidates have been on agitation in support of their demand since December 18. After meeting the chief secretary Meena, candidates told media persons that they did not get any firm assurance or timeline for addressing their demands, which include re-examination, a probe into the alleged irregularities in the examination and withdrawal of FIRs against over a dozen students.
Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor also issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government to resolve the matter or else the students would resume protest with more intensity.
Earlier in the day, Kishor alleged that he had come to know that thousands of crores of rupees had changed hands for the vacant posts to be filled up through the examination conducted by the BPSC. He also expressed his surprise over the ‘silence’ of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar when the candidates were protesting in biting cold, braving baton charges by the police and water cannons.
The preliminary test was held on December 13 as BPSC cancelled the exam at a Patna centre following allegations that there was a delay in distributing the question papers. A student leader, who was part of the delegation that met Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena told newspersons that the chief secretary listened to their demands but did not give any concrete assurance. Later in the day, BPSC chairman Parmar Ravibhai met Bihar governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and discussed the issue.