New Delhi: Patna Police arrested Jan Suraaj party leader Prashant Kishor and detained several supporters in the early hours of Monday for “illegally” protesting at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. Kishor had been sitting on hunger strike in support of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants demanding the cancellation of this year’s preliminary examination over alleged irregularities.
The police took action around 4 am, while Kishor and other protesters were sleeping near the Gandhi statue at the site. In video clips of the incident, shared by news agencies, police personnel can be seen trying to remove Kishor from the site, prompting a scuffle with his supporters. Jan Suraaj activists can be heard chanting Vande Mataram as police finally lead Kishor away.
“Prashant Kishor of Jan Suraaj Party and some other people were illegally protesting in front of Gandhi statue in the restricted area of Gandhi Maidan for their five-point demands,” Senior Superintendent of Police Awakash Kumar told media persons.
“An FIR was lodged in Gandhi Maidan police station for illegally protesting in the restricted area. Despite repeated requests and giving sufficient time, the place was not vacated.”
After Kishor was arrested, he was reportedly taken to AIIMS Patna for a health check-up. In a post on X, Jan Suraaj alleged that the police lathi-charged the crowd that had gathered to see Kishor at AIIMS and later, “fearing students and supporters”, had been driving Kishor around for five hours.
छात्रों और समर्थकों से डरकर बिहार पुलिस, प्रशांत किशोर को लेकर पिछले 5 घंटे से इधर-उधर घूम रही है। pic.twitter.com/qbrf1gwcdz
— Jan Suraaj (@jansuraajonline) January 6, 2025
Kishor began his hunger strike on 2 January, putting forward five demands for the youth in Bihar, including an investigation into the paper leaks and unemployment wages for those between the ages of 18 and 35. He had had allegedly been asked several times by the police to end the protest, but he refused to do so.
Speaking to the media in Patna, Kishor’s doctor Dr Lal Pandey Sunday said that while generally Kishor’s health was fine, due to starvation, his urea levels had increased slightly, while his sugar level was fluctuating. He recommended that Kishor end his hunger strike soon or his health could worsen.
Hundreds of aspirants have been demanding the cancellation of the 70th Combined Preliminary Examination that was held on 13 December after rumours that the question paper from the Bapu Bhawan examination centre in the state capital Patna had been leaked. The exam is the first stage of the Bihar Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) conducted by BPSC for recruitment of candidates for administrative posts in the Bihar government.
The BPSC has dismissed protesting students’ allegations of a widespread question paper leak and ordered a re-examination for a select group of candidates who appeared in the 13 December examination.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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