Teacher recruitment exam aspirants protest near Bihar CM's residence; police resort to lathi-charge
Patna (PTI): Chaos erupted near the official residence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday when police baton-charged aspirants who had staged a sit-in demanding the release of supplementary results of a teacher recruitment exam.
The demonstrators, demanding the release of the Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE-3) supplementary result, staged the protest outside the gates of the CM's residence on 1 Anne Marg. The entire area is a high-security zone and no such protest is allowed.
A large number of protesters, carrying placards, raised slogans against the state government and the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), which conducted the exam.
Anu Kumari, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Sachiwalay-1, requested the protesters to immediately vacate the area as such activities are restricted there.
When the protesters refused to budge, police resorted to baton-charge to disperse the aspirants. The SDPO, however, refused to speak to reporters.
Protesters claimed that several persons were injured in the baton-charge, which the officials denied.
One of the protesting candidates, Kriti Dutta, said they have been protesting in Gardanibagh area for the last four months.
"We have approached everybody, from ministers to secretaries and MLAs but none provided us with any solution," she said.
Another candidate said that the education minister had assured them that a letter had been sent to BPSC regarding the issue but nothing has been done so far.
Despite repeated attempts, neither Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh nor Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Awakash Kumar were available for their comments on the incident and how the protesters managed to enter the high-security zone.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav condemned the lathi-charge on the protesting aspirants and expressed his solidarity with them.
In a post on X, Yadav wrote, "We condemn police action on protesters today. When the youth demand justice, their voice is ruthlessly crushed... it has become the fashion of the NDA governments at the Centre and the state to crush the voice of the youth."
"Students were protesting in a democratic manner today. This incompetent government nurtures and protects criminals and the corrupt, while it unleashes lathi charges on students, youths, and the unemployed. This is the time... people of the state should unite to change this incompetent government in the coming assembly polls in the state," he added.
BPSC conducted the teacher recruitment exam in March 2024 and a total of 87,774 posts were announced under TRE-3. However, only around 51,000 candidates have received appointment letters so far. The authorities had earlier promised a supplementary result, but nothing has happened so far.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
