Fresh tension broke out in Patna on Tuesday (August 25) as hundreds of protesting students marched from Gandhi Maidan towards Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s residence, breaking through police barricades and clashing with security personnel at Dak Bungalow Chowk.

Police used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators, with several students detained and reports of some police personnel being injured in the confrontation. A woman student reportedly fainted during the ruckus.

The march, which began around 10 am, was organised as part of the continuing agitation at Gardanibagh over recruitment examinations and government jobs. Students are demanding changes to the proposed fourth Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4), including a single-stage PT-mains examination, removal of negative marking, and 100% domicile-based recruitment.

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The protesters broke through barricades at JP Golambar before moving towards Dak Bungalow, where a security cordon of metal shields had been deployed. The barricades were pushed aside as the crowd tried to advance, leading to a physical scuffle between protesters and security personnel at Dak Bungalow Chowk.

The students have been holding a sit-in at Gardanibagh since August 18. More than a dozen groups are participating in the protest, raising demands relating to several competitive examinations and recruitment processes.

What is behind the agitation?

The immediate dispute centres on the examination pattern announced by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) for TRE-4. The Commission has said it will now conduct the examination in two stages and that negative marking will continue in objective examinations.

Students, however, want TRE-4 to be conducted as a single examination without negative marking. They have also raised concerns that a two-stage process could lead to normalisation, an issue they regard as contentious.

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The BPSC announced on August 18 that TRE-4 would cover 32,388 teaching posts across primary, middle and senior secondary schools. Applications are scheduled to be accepted from September 1 to September 30, with the examination potentially being held in December or January. The examination schedule is expected to be announced in October.

According to the BPSC, if applications remain below five lakh, the examination will be conducted in three shifts; if they cross five lakh, six shifts will be required. A proposal to provide candidates an additional 10 to 15 minutes is still under consideration. The examination will consist of objective-type questions.

The Commission has rejected the demand to remove negative marking. It has argued that the system discourages candidates from guessing answers and said that all BPSC objective examinations will follow the provision.

BPSC clarification

Students are also demanding cancellation of the 70th BPSC preliminary examination, alleging administrative irregularities and a paper leak. The Commission has rejected the allegations. It said a copy circulating on social media in connection with the examination was “completely fake” and displayed what it described as the original answer sheet of a candidate who secured Rank 3.

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BPSC examination controller Rajesh Kumar Singh said the candidate had answered Question 7 but left its sub-parts unanswered and received no marks for them. He maintained that evaluation was based on the quality of answers rather than the number of pages filled. The Commission has said candidates will be able to access their answer sheets through their login IDs.

The BPSC has also rejected allegations of discrimination against Hindi-medium candidates, saying it does not collect data on whether candidates appearing for the mains examination studied in Hindi or English. It has maintained that answers are assessed on their quality.

Domicile demand

Another major demand is 100% domicile-based recruitment in government jobs and teacher appointments, with local candidates seeking preference exclusively for Bihar residents.

The BPSC has said domicile is a matter for the state government and not for the Commission to decide. It said around 72% of candidates appearing in BPSC examinations are from Bihar.

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Student groups have also raised demands for age relaxation and changes concerning other recruitment examinations, including those conducted by the Bihar Staff Selection Commission, as well as recruitment for posts such as police personnel and other government jobs.

Students protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, in Patna on August 25, 2026. Photo: PTI

On Monday evening, a delegation of student leaders met the district magistrate, senior superintendent of police and officials of the Education Department. According to student leader Dileep Kumar, the delegation sought a meeting with the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary but was directed to the Education Department Secretary.

The department subsequently gave the student representatives proposals concerning changes to the TRE-4 syllabus. These included retaining the proposed examination framework while considering changes to the PT and mains syllabi, including greater emphasis on Bihar-related questions and changes to the distribution of questions on child development, child psychology and teaching.

The student leaders said the proposals would first be discussed among candidates before any decision was taken on whether to withdraw the agitation. They stressed that the suggestions were not yet final decisions by the BPSC and that the Commission would have to consider them.

The controversy that intensified the protest

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The immediate escalation followed remarks made by BPSC examination controller Rajesh Kumar Singh during Monday’s press conference. While responding to questions concerning the protests, Singh quoted the Hindi proverb, “Hathi chale bazaar, kutta bhaunke hazar” (those focused on a big goal should ignore irrelevant criticisms).

The remark triggered criticism from protesters and political leaders, with critics interpreting it as a reference to protesting students. Singh later said the proverb had been quoted out of context, adding that he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of any individual or group and expressing regret if anyone had been offended.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticised the remark and demanded an apology. The issue became a fresh point of mobilisation for students, with leaders announcing the march towards the Chief Minister’s residence.

Other groups at Gardanibagh

The Gardanibagh protest site has become a broader centre for recruitment-related demonstrations. Separate groups have been demanding cancellation of the 70th BPSC examination, changes in TRE-4 and BSSC recruitment, librarian appointments and reforms in assistant professor recruitment.

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PhD holders and research scholars had also been protesting over the rules governing assistant professor appointments. Their agitation, however, reached an agreement with the state Governor on Monday night.

A six-member delegation of the All PhD Holders and Research Association met the Bihar Governor for two hours after the group had been on hunger strike at Gardanibagh for 21 days. The protesters agreed to withdraw their hunger strike.

Under the agreement, the 2026 assistant professor recruitment regulations will remain suspended until necessary amendments are considered. A committee comprising academics and administrators with experience in education is to be constituted within 15 days to examine the association’s demands.

These include raising the maximum age for assistant professor recruitment to 55, introducing an objective written examination, combining written-examination marks with the Academic Performance Indicator (API) for a merit list, and including a teaching demonstration during interviews.

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The committee will also consider changes to the API system, including removing Class 10 and 12 marks from its calculation, retaining NET and JRF weightage at up to 11 and keeping PhD weightage at not less than 30. Research publications and experience are also to be considered, with clearer definitions to prevent misuse.

The demands of guest assistant professors, including minimum pay scales with dearness allowance, a uniform renewal process and consideration of their qualifications and experience for continued engagement up to the age of 65, will also be examined.

Meanwhile, amid Tuesday’s confrontation, the Bihar government announced the launch of a monthly “Vidyarthi Sahyog Shivir”, or Student Support Camp, to address student grievances.

Chief Minister Choudhary said the camps would be held on the fourth Tuesday of every month in educational institutions, allowing students to place their problems, complaints and suggestions directly before the government and concerned officials.

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He also announced a “Vidyarthi Sahyog Portal” and helpline 1100, through which students can register complaints online and track their status.

The government said the initiative was intended to ensure that students’ concerns were heard and resolved in a time-bound manner.