Bihar: Prashant Kishor ends fast unto death over 'irregularities' in BPSC exam
Patna, Jan 16 (PTI): Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday withdrew his fast unto death after 14 days of protest over alleged irregularities in a competitive exam conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission on December 13 last year.
However, the former political strategist said his 'Satyagraha' would continue for the cause of civil service aspirants, and the youth of the state and also against the alleged 'authoritarian' attitude of the state government.
"The matter, seeking the cancellation of the BPSC's 70th Combined Competitive exam held on December 13, is being heard by the Patna High Court today. It is a coincidence that I am calling off my fast unto death on a day when the matter is being heard before the court. We are quite hopeful that job aspirants will get justice from the Patna High Court. If they don't get justice, we will knock on the door of the Supreme Court," Kishor said.
He had started the fast unto death on January 2, demanding cancellation of the BPSC exam.
Before withdrawing his fast unto death at the party's camp office here, Kishor took a dip in the Ganga river and offered puja.
Kishor was offered fruit juice by his party workers as he withdrew from the hunger strike.
The party has set up its camp office at LCT Ghat on the bank of the Ganga river.
"Now, my 'Satyagraha' will continue from the Jan Suraaj party office here. We call it 'Bihar Satyagraha Ashram'. We will train at least 1 lakh students at this ashram till March 11," he said.
These trained students will create awareness among the people against the alleged injustice being faced by the socially weaker sections of the society and the youth, he claimed.
"I condemn the baton charge and police action against the protesting students in Bihar. The Jan Suraaj Party will file a criminal writ petition in the next two days against those bureaucrats who are behind the police action against the job aspirants. We will also go to the Human Rights Commission against the officials," Kishor said.
He also claimed, "Our 'Satyagraha' will also continue against the authoritarian attitude of the Nitish Kumar government, which has not said even a single word so far on students' demands."
Kishor also said the Bihar governor and the chief secretary met the protesting students, but "the CM never bothered to meet them".
"This shows his arrogance or insensitivity. He might not be able to understand the problems of students," the Jan Suraaj Party's founder alleged.
Kishor claimed, "People are discussing the mental health of the CM. I don't know anything about his mental health. But if people are talking about it, a bulletin about his overall health must be issued. After all, he is head of the state."
Elaborating on his 'Bihar Satyagraha Ashram' initiative, the former political strategist claimed that at least 5,000 students and youth will be trained here from January 20.
The philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi's 'Satyagraha' is to uplift communities to stand against injustices and to create change without violence, he said.
"Youths, inspired by 'Satyagraha' will play a key role in creating awareness among the masses. That's why I am going to start this initiative. My aim is to make the youth understand the importance of 'Satyagraha'," he said.
Kishor was recently discharged from a hospital in Patna following improvement in his health condition.
He was admitted to a private hospital, a day after his arrest by the police for staging a dharna at a site in the city where such agitations are prohibited.
Hours after his arrest, Kishor was granted bail by a local court.
"The government removed us from Gandhi Maidan, and now we are sitting in the lap of the holy Ganga river. I am confident that students will get the justice", said Kishor.
The competitive examination conducted by the BPSC on December 13 has been in the eye of a state-wide protest over allegations of question paper leak.
Even as the government dismissed the allegation, a fresh test was ordered for more than 12,000 candidates.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
