BPSC exam row: Prashant Kishor, on hunger strike, arrested
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Patna (PTI): Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, who was on a fast unto death at Gandhi Maidan here to press the demand for cancellation of a Bihar PSC exam, was arrested early on Monday, police said.
Police personnel removed him and his supporters from the protest site as they were holding the demonstration near a restricted area, and thus it was "illegal", a senior officer said.
Kishor was arrested on the fifth day of his fast-unto-death protest over an alleged question paper leak in the December 13 examination conducted by Bihar PSC.
According to Jan Suraaj party's supporters, the police took Kishor to Patna AIIMS for a medical examination.
Talking to PTI, Patna District Magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh said, "Yes, Kishor and his supporters, who were sitting on a dharna at Gandhi Maidan, were arrested by the police on Monday morning. They will now be produced before a court."
Their demonstration was "illegal", he said, adding that they were holding the sit-in near the restricted site.
“Despite repeated requests by the officials concerned, they did not leave the place. They had also been served notice by the district administration to shift their dharna to Gardani Bagh, the dedicated place for holding protests, in the state capital," the DM said.
The Patna Police had registered a case against Kishor for holding the fast unto death at Gandhi Maidan’s restricted site, another official said.
The district administration also issued a statement, claiming that the "Kishor is absolutely fine".
Immediately after his arrest, the poll strategist-turned-politician was taken to Patna AIIMS for a medical check-up.
When Kishor was being taken out from the AIIMS in an ambulance, his supporters tried to block the road outside the hospital.
A "mild force was used to disperse Kishor’s supporters who gathered outside AIIMS and tried to disrupt traffic movement", said a senior police officer.
Kishor began his fast unto death on January 2 in support of the civil service aspirants who have been demanding the cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination held on December 13 last year.
However, the BPSC had ordered the retest for a select group of candidates who had appeared in the December 13 exam, which was embroiled over allegations of question paper leak.
The retest was held on January 4 at 22 centres here.
Of 12,012 candidates, around 8,111 aspirants had downloaded their admit cards for the re-exam.
However, 5,943 candidates appeared for the retest last week.
The retest was held peacefully at all centres without report of any misconduct and malpractice, the BPSC said in a statement issued on Saturday.
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PM Modi arrives Oman, exchanges perspectives with Deputy PM on bilateral ties
Muscat (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said and exchanged perspectives on friendship between the two countries.
Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with the Gulf nation's top leadership and is expected to sign an ambitious trade deal, said his trip offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to the bilateral partnership.
He was warmly welcomed by Sayyid Shihab at the airport and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.
"Landed in Muscat, Oman. This is a land of enduring friendship and deep historical connections with India. This visit offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to our partnership," Modi said in a social media post.
Modi is visiting Oman at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. This is his second visit to the Gulf nation.
"Extremely grateful to HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, for the warm welcome at Muscat airport. We also had a great interaction, exchanging perspectives on India-Oman friendship," Modi said.
Modi's visit is of special significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister arrived here on the last leg of his three-nation tour. He earlier visited Ethiopia and Jordan.
When Modi arrived at the hotel, he was welcomed by the Indian community members. Local artists presented a traditional Omani performance. Indian artists presented colourful cultural performances, including Rajasthan's Ghoomar, Gujarati song, classical dance and Karnataka's folk dance.
He also witnessed an exhibition depicting 70 years of India-Oman diplomatic relations presented by diaspora at the hotel.
India has said that it is "very optimistic" about finalising an ambitious trade deal with Oman during the visit.
The free trade agreement between India and Oman was approved by the Union Cabinet last Friday.
Talks for the agreement, officially termed as CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), formally began in November 2023, and the negotiations concluded this year.
"We are all very optimistic about it. The teams from both sides have been working very hard for its early finalisation," Arun Chatterjee, a secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), had said at a media briefing when asked whether the proposed India-Oman comprehensive economic partnership agreement will be inked during Modi's visit.
"We have immense faith that this agreement, if signed during this visit, will significantly deepen the economic ties between India and Oman. And it will open up a new chapter in the history of India-Oman trade and commercial relationship," he said.
During the visit, Modi will also hold discussions with Sultan Tarik on strengthening the Strategic Partnership as well as a strong commercial and economic relationship.
Modi is also scheduled to address a gathering of the Indian diaspora here.
"This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in an earlier statement.
Oman is the third-largest export destination for India among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. India already has a similar agreement with another GCC member, the UAE, which came into effect in May 2022.
India-Oman bilateral trade was about USD 10.5 billion (exports USD 4 billion and imports USD 6.54 billion) in 2024-25. India's key imports are petroleum products and urea. These account for over 70 per cent of imports. Other key products are propylene and ethylene polymers, pet coke, gypsum, chemicals, iron and steel, and unwrought aluminium.
The main items of India's exports to Oman include mineral fuels, chemicals, precious metals, iron and steel, cereals, ships, boats and floating structures, electrical machinery, boilers, tea, coffee, spices, apparel, and food items.
