Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday announced that he will begin a fast unto death in a bid to demand the cancellation of the recently conducted Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam. The announcement was made at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan which is just a fewౠ kilometers from the site where protesters have been staging a relentless, round-the-clock demonstration for nearly two weeks.
Kishor, speaking to reporters, stated that his demands included not only the cancellation of the exam but also the holding of fresh tests. “My demands include cancellation of the exam and holding of fre🐽sh tests. I also seek action against corrupt officials who had allegedly put posts, to be filled by the exams, on sale,” he said.
The fast follows protests by BPSC aspirants in Bihar over♍ alleged irregularities in the December 13 BPSC Combined Competitive Exams. Kishor’s announcement comes just days after a delegation of protesters met Bihar’s Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, who assured them that the matter would be looked into. However, despite this meeting, protesters have reported receiving no concrete assurances or timelines for resolving their demands.
Earlier this week, Kishor had issued a🐻 48-hour ultimatum to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government, warning that the protests would intensi⛦fy if immediate action was not taken.
“As of now, the future of our young students should be the top priority. We can play the game of politics✤ later,” Kishor had said.
Criticizing the state government's response to the crisis, Kishor expressed frustration with the Chief Minister’s silence on the issue. “Why is Nitish Kumar silent when the candidates are protesting in biting cold, facing police𝔍 lathi charges and water cannons? The CM is away in Delhi, enjoying himself. He hasn’t uttered a single word when reporters in the national capital approached him with questions about the ongoing protests,” he said.
The controversy erupted after numerous candi🤡dates alleged that the question paper for the December 13 exam had been leaked, prompting widespread pr🧜otests. In response, the BPSC rejected the allegations, labeling them as part of a "conspiracy" to discredit the exam process. However, to quell the unrest, the commission ordered a re-examination for over 10,000 candidates who were assigned to a single exam centre in Patna, Bapu Pariksha Parisar, where the exam was disrupted.
A section of the protesters, however, remains dissatisfied with the BPSC's solution, arguing that the re-exam should not be limited to just one centre. They have called for a fresh exam for all candidates, a🦩cross the 912 centres where the test was conducted.
