Patna, Jan 6: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, who had been on a fast unto death demanding the cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination, was arrested early Monday at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Kishor’s arrest came amid heightened tensions over alleged exam irregularities, with students protesting for over two weeks.
The Patna Police, acting on a case registered against Kishor for holding the protest at a restricted site near the Mahatma Gandhi statue, took him to Patna AIIMS for a medical examination, as reported by the news agency PTI. “Yes, Kishor and his supporters sitting on dharna at Gandhi Maidan were arrested this morning. They will now be produced before a court,” District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh confirmed, citing the illegality of the demonstration at the restricted location.
Kishor’s indefinite hunger strike began on January 2, following allegations that the question paper for the BPSC’s 70th Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Test, conducted on December 13, was leaked. The controversy intensified when the state government announced a re-examination, which Kishor argued was an implicit acknowledgment of the irregularities.
The former election strategist and now political leader of Jan Suraaj urged prominent opposition figures, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, to join the protest. “These leaders can gather a massive crowd at Gandhi Maidan. The future of our youth is at stake under a brutal regime that has resorted to lathi charges 87 times in just three years,” Kishor stated, emphasizing the urgency of the matter.
Amid mounting pressure, Kishor had earlier warned the Nitish Kumar-led state government that failure to announce a re-examination by January 31 would result in the disruption of the annual Republic Day function at Gandhi Maidan. “We will ensure that at least 500 students from each block of Bihar gather here,” he told The Indian Express, signaling a robust mobilization if their demands were not met.
An FIR had previously been lodged against Kishor and some of his supporters for the “illegal” protest at Gandhi Maidan. Despite the arrest and legal challenges, the protests underscore a growing discontent with the handling of the BPSC examination process, reflecting broader concerns over governance and transparency in Bihar.
