PATNA: Police on Tuesday used baton charge to disperse a group of job aspirants protesting outside Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s official residence, demanding the release of supplementary results for the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-3).
Several protestors claimed they were injured in the police lathi-charge and warned of intensifying their agitation if the government failed to meet their demands. The TRE-3 aspirants said they had been protesting for the past four months, but had yet to receive a positive response from the authorities.
The situation escalated when the protestors, holding placards and banners, allegedly refused to vacate the prohibited area near the Chief Minister’s residence despite repeated instructions from police officials. They instead raised slogans against the state government and the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), which conducted the examination.
Some protestors reportedly advanced towards the main gate of the Chief Minister’s residence, prompting security personnel to intervene and disperse them. Police later used force to clear the crowd, leading to brief chaos in the prohibited zone. The situation was brought under control following the police action.
Deepa Singh, a protestor from Siwan, criticised the state government for not releasing the supplementary results of TRE-3. “We are being treated like anti-social elements. We were holding a peaceful sit-in outside the CM’s residence, but the police used force, injuring many,” she told reporters.
Madan Prasad, a resident of Vaishali district, said they had been protesting at the Gardanibagh dharna site for over three months. He claimed that a delegation had earlier met Education Minister Sunil Kumar, who promised to consider their demands, but no action followed. “The TRE-3 aspirants acted out of sheer desperation,” he said.
The protestors said that they were demanding the release of supplementary results to pave the way for appointment on 87,774 vacant posts of teachers in government schools. “Give us jobs or hang us,” said a visibly upset Rakesh Kumar from Katihar.
However, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Awakash Kumar denied allegations of a lathi-charge, stating that only mild force was used to disperse the crowd. “Protesting in a prohibited zone is strictly banned. Anyone violating this rule is liable for action under the law,” he said.
The police action drew sharp political reactions, with RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav criticising the state government for delaying the release of the TRE-3 supplementary results. He alleged that the government was jeopardising the future of thousands of job aspirants by not addressing their legitimate concerns.
Yadav called for fair and impartial action in the matter, stressing that the careers of hundreds of youths were at stake. “The NDA government is trying to suppress the voice of job seekers, but we will not allow this to happen. We fully support the genuine demands of the aspirants,” he said.