Students protesting in Patna’s Gardanibagh over their demands for a PT-Mains exam in BPSC TRE-4, removal of negative marking and 100% domicile reservation will take out a march today, Tuesday. The protestors will begin the march from Gate No. 10 of Gandhi Maidan and head towards the Chief Minister’s residence.
The march is being organized by student leader Aman’s faction of the All Bihar Student Union (ABSU). However, student leader Dileep Kumar is not supporting the march, while the student organization AISA has also kept itself out of the protest.
The march will pass through JP Golambar, Dak Bungalow, the planetarium, Income Tax Golambar, Bihar Museum and Bailey Road before reaching the Chief Minister’s residence.
Meanwhile, the BPSC issued the notification for TRE-4 on 18 August, amid the ongoing student protest.
Education department writes to BPSC over TRE-4 exam demands
In Patna, the Education Department has sent a letter to the BPSC regarding the upcoming TRE-4 examination. The department has proposed changes to the syllabus for the TRE-4 preliminary examination.
Through the letter, Education Secretary Rajeev Roushan requested the BPSC chairman to consider changes to the examination pattern.
The Education Department has also proposed that 50% of the questions in the TRE-4 preliminary examination be based on child psychology. The remaining 50% of the questions have been proposed to come from general knowledge and general studies (GK/GS).
It has also been proposed that questions related to Bihar be included in the GK/GS section. According to the proposal, 30% of the GK/GS questions would relate to Bihar’s history, politics, economics, and geography.
In addition, students have raised the demand for “one candidate-one result.” The department has also informed the BPSC about this demand. The BPSC will now decide whether these changes will be implemented in the TRE-4 examination.
BPSC apologizes for ‘Elephant and Dogs’ remark on students
During a press conference in Patna on Monday, Rajesh Kumar Singh said, “The TRE-4 examination may be held in December or January. The examination will be conducted in two stages-PT and Mains. There will also be negative marking.”
When journalists asked him about the students’ protest in Gardanibagh, BPSC Examination Controller Rajesh Kumar Singh said, “You must have heard the saying: when an elephant walks through the market, a thousand dogs bark.”
Following his statement, the protesting students became agitated. The students chanted, “BPSC is a thief.” The students said, “This very ‘dog’ will one day become an officer of your commission. Once, someone was called a cockroach, and the head had to leave. Now the secretary will lose his job.”
The protesting students are demanding that BPSC Examination Controller Rajesh Kumar Singh apologize; otherwise, the next protest will be held at the BPSC gate.
After the controversy escalated, BPSC Examination Controller Rajesh Kumar Singh released a video and apologized. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has directed that BPSC Examination Controller Rajesh Kumar Singh be suspended.
See yesterday’s pictures from the protest…
Students raised slogans against the commission with posters over the BPSC exam controller’s statement about dogs.
During the protest in Patna, a roasted gram seller hung a poster reading “Librarian Chana Seller” around his neck.
The government has been urged not to ignore the voices of the protesting youth. A positive dialogue should be initiated with them and their demands addressed at the earliest. The appeal is to take immediate steps in the interest of lakhs of students and young people in Bihar; otherwise, growing unity among students and youth could force the government to act.
