Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants in Patna have been protesting against changes to the rules for the upcoming 70th BPSC Preliminary Examination, demanding that the exam be held in a “one shift, one paper” format instead of using the “normalisation of marks” process, which adjusts scores for exams held in multiple shifts to ensure fairness.
The aspirants say the new system is unfair and want the traditional method back, as they are concerned it may impact their performance in the exam.
The protests near the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) office in Patna escalated on Friday. Police were called in to control the crowd, and they used a lathi-charge to disperse the students who were blocking traffic.
There were claims from some protesters that they had been injured during the lathi-charge, although the police denied this, saying that mild force was used to break up the protest.
Police officers also added that the force was necessary to clear the barricades that had been set up by the protesters to block the road. The protests were a response to the BPSC's refusal to reverse the changes to the exam rules.
How Khan Sir got involved?
Khan Sir, a popular tutor from Patna and a well-known YouTuber, expressed his support for the protesting students. After the lathi-charge, he went to the Gardani Bagh locality, where the students had gathered, to show solidarity with them.
{{/usCountry}}Khan Sir, a popular tutor from Patna and a well-known YouTuber, expressed his support for the protesting students. After the lathi-charge, he went to the Gardani Bagh locality, where the students had gathered, to show solidarity with them.
{{/usCountry}}He became involved when rumours started circulating on social media claiming that he had been arrested by the police. These rumours caused a lot of confusion and panic among his followers, as many of them believed that he had been detained for supporting the protest.
In response to the rumours, the Bihar Police clarified that Khan Sir was not arrested. Police said that he had gone to the Gardani Bagh police station voluntarily to meet the detained protesters.
He was repeatedly asked to leave the police station but requested to be dropped near his car, which was parked at a different location. Police said that it complied with his request and took him in a police vehicle to the spot where his car was parked.
The police assured that he was neither detained nor arrested as claimed by the rumours on social media.
What is BPSC's stand on the examination?
Despite the protests, the BPSC has confirmed that the 70th BPSC Preliminary Examination will be held as scheduled on December 13.
The BPSC also made it clear that no changes would be made to the exam process. It assured students that the normalisation process would not be used and the exam would proceed according to the original format.
The BPSC’s decision has sparked further anger among the protesting students, who continue to demand that the rules be changed before the exam.
The examination is expected to be taken by around five lakh candidates, and it will take place across 925 centres in Bihar.