Patna: “Ek Sutta, Do Chai, BPSSC Hai-Hai” and “2 Kachori, Ek Samosa, BPSSC Ka Kya Bharosa”, with these tongue-in-cheek slogans, Bihar Police sub-inspector aspirants took to the roads of Patna on Monday, protesting the cancellation of the mains examination for 1,799 posts.Carrying the Tricolour, banners and posters, hundreds of aspirants marched from Gandhi Maidan towards CM’s residence, demanding withdrawal of the cancellation and resumption of the recruitment process. The march, which followed days of protests at Gardanibagh, was stopped by police at JP Golambar.The situation turned tense as some protesters repeatedly tried to cross the barricades. A policeman was seen using a cane to control the crowd, prompting protesters to push against the barricades. They later moved towards Dak Bungalow crossing, where police erected another layer of barricading, including barbed wire and metal shields. Police and RAF personnel were deployed as officials tried to contain the crowd.The protesters continued raising slogans and demanded a meeting with CM Samrat Choudhary.“We would have been wearing the same uniform as them in a month, but the govt has taken everything away from us. We prepared for the physical test in the scorching heat during June, July, Aug and Sept, but all our hard work has now been wasted,” said aspirant Anshu.The preliminary examination was held in Jan and the mains on May 27. BPSSC cancelled the mains on Sept 23, citing “unavoidable reasons”. A fresh date is yet to be announced.Aspirants Nidhi Kumari and Raunak Kumar said the cancellation had come after they had cleared earlier stages and demanded that the recruitment process be resumed and physical-test dates announced.A five-member delegation was also formed to present the protesters’ grievances. Student representative Saurabh Rana alleged the delegation was being taken to BPSSC office instead of CM’s Secretariat, prompting its members to get off the vehicle.ASP (Law and Order-I) Krishna Murari Prasad said, “Earlier, we had sent a five-member delegation to the BPSSC office, but it did not go. In the evening, we sent them to the CM Secretariat to put forth their demands.”Meanwhile, AISA organised a student-youth mahapanchayat at Gardanibagh, where candidates from several recruitment examinations announced plans for a larger movement over recruitment-related issues.
