A student demonstration in Patna demanding a single-stage BPSC TRE-4 examination and abolition of negative marking descended into clashes on Tuesday, 25 August, with police deploying water cannons and carrying out a lathi-charge to disperse protesters. Town DSP Kamakhya Narayan Singh was injured after protesters allegedly pelted stones, and several students were detained.

How the situation escalated

The administration had put in place heavy security arrangements along the stretch from Gandhi Maidan to Dakbungalow Crossing to prevent demonstrators from reaching sensitive government zones. Barricades were erected at the JP Roundabout near Gandhi Maidan, but a large number of students reportedly broke through them and pressed on to Dakbungalow Crossing.

Police initially attempted to persuade the crowd to withdraw peacefully. When students held their ground and continued raising slogans, water cannons were deployed — yet the protest did not disperse. Some demonstrators were seen waving the Tricolour even as water was being sprayed on them. In a moment that drew attention, one protester reportedly began using shampoo while standing under the water cannon before approaching police personnel.

Injuries and detentions

As scuffles broke out between police and protesters, officers resorted to a lathi-charge. During the confrontation, stone-pelting allegedly left Town DSP Kamakhya Narayan Singh injured. A female student sustained a head injury and was taken to Gardiner Road Hospital for treatment. A female police officer also fainted amid the intense heat at Dakbungalow Crossing.

Several students were detained and initially taken to the Secretariat police station before being shifted to the Airport police station. Protesters remained at Dakbungalow Crossing for nearly two hours, refusing to leave despite repeated police efforts to clear the area.

What the students are demanding

The core BPSC TRE-4 demands include conducting the Teacher Recruitment Examination through a single-stage process, scrapping negative marking, and ensuring greater transparency in the recruitment procedure. Students also raised concerns about other pending government recruitment examinations.

Notably, this protest is the latest in a series of agitations by aspirants against perceived irregularities in Bihar's public recruitment processes — a pattern that has intensified over the past two years.

Government's response

Senior officials, including District Magistrate Kundan Kumar, SSP Kartikeya Sharma, and Zonal IG Jitendra Rana, reached the site to monitor the situation. Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari stated that the government had already accepted 'almost all' of the students' demands and that all avenues for dialogue remained open if students had further concerns to communicate.

Whether the government's assurances are enough to end the agitation will become clearer in the coming days, as student groups weigh their next course of action.