“Democracy changed to ‘lathi-tantra’ for last 1-2 yrs”: Prashant Kishore on Bihar’s police action on BPSC aspirants

Patna: Jan Suraj chief Prashant Kishore on Friday criticised the Bihar government’s handling of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants’ protest, alleging that democracy in the state has been replaced by “lathi-tantra” (rule of the stick).

Expressing solidarity with the protesting aspirants in Patna, Kishore stated that no authority has the right to use force against individuals expressing their views democratically.

“In Bihar, democracy has transformed into ‘lathi-tantra’ over the last 1-2 years. If any section of society approaches the government to express their views, the response is often lathi charges. This is detrimental to democracy. The government must listen to the students. If people are expressing their views peacefully and democratically, there is absolutely no justification for lathi charges. I stand with the students. Action should be taken against those responsible for this. We oppose the use of force against students,” Kishore asserted.

Educator and YouTuber Faizal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, joined the protestors on Friday and urged them to protest peacefully. He also chanted slogans alongside the aspirants against the BPSC.

“We are only demanding a re-examination by the commission. They can make it as challenging as they wish; we are not shying away. However, the exam should not feature questions that insult our intelligence. The questions in our class tests are harder than this. Why did the commission conceal evidence and CCTV footage? There are many concerning issues that require investigation.

We will approach the Supreme Court and even appeal to the President to highlight what is happening in Bihar. First, the country’s GDP declined, then a bridge in Bihar collapsed, and now the BPSC has collapsed,” he remarked.

The BPSC aspirants gathered outside the commission’s office in Patna to demand the cancellation of the exam. The protests, which began on December 13, were sparked by allegations of irregularities during the examination.

Candidates have alleged that the question paper was leaked, and there were delays in distributing the papers. Some reported receiving the question paper nearly an hour late, while others claimed that answer sheets were torn, raising suspicions of malpractice.

The protests have drawn sharp political reactions, with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav criticising the police’s actions. He stated that resorting to lathi charges against students was unjust.

“They shouldn’t have done this. It’s wrong,” Lalu Yadav remarked.

However, police authorities defended their actions, stating that only “mild force” was used and denied any injuries to the protesting aspirants.