Students, cops face off in Patna during march to Raj Bhavan over Bihar civil services exam - Hindustan Times

**Patna, Bihar –** Hundreds of university students and recent graduates converged on the capital’s Raj Bhavan on Saturday, confronting police after a two‑day march demanding the cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) civil‑services examination. The protesters, who say the exam was marred by alleged irregularities and a leaked question paper, smashed temporary barricades erected by the state police and pressed forward toward the Chief Minister’s residence. Police deployed water‑cannon trucks and baton charges to disperse the crowd; officials later confirmed that at least 12 people were injured and 28 were taken into custody, including several student union leaders.

State authorities defended the police response, stating that the barricades were placed to maintain law and order after intelligence reports warned of possible vandalism. “The police acted within the bounds of the law to protect public property and prevent a breach of the Raj Bhavan complex,” said a senior police spokesperson, adding that the force will file charges against those accused of assaulting officers. In contrast, the All‑India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the Bihar Student Front issued statements accusing the administration of “politicising a merit‑based exam” and called for an independent probe, urging the BPSC to annul the results and re‑conduct the test under a transparent framework.

Amid the heightened tension, a separate three‑week sit‑in led by PhD scholars and guest faculty members was called off after negotiations with the state education department, according to Deccan Herald. Officials said the withdrawal was contingent on the department’s promise to review the exam‑paper‑security protocols and to hold a round‑table with academic representatives. While the academic community’s concession has eased one front of the unrest, students continue to press for the exam’s cancellation, leaving the Bihar government under pressure to address both the immediate security concerns and the broader credibility of its civil‑service recruitment process.