Noted educator and YouTuber Faizal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, was detained on Friday during an ongoing protest by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants at Gardanibagh in Patna. The aspirants have been demonstrating against the changes in exam patterns and the normalisation process.
Special Executive Magistrate MS Khan, addressing reporters, stated:
“I have just reached here. I am not aware… Khan Sir was detained and now he is leaving…Now, I don’t know where he is going or where he is being taken…Nobody is inside. They will have to leave the Dharna-sthal.”
The students are demanding that BPSC exams be conducted in a single shift with a single question paper to eliminate the need for the normalisation process.
Speaking to the press before his detention, Khan Sir said:
“Only a week is left… how unfortunate is this that we need to protest for our demand on the land of Chanakya and that too, just one week before the examinations. We want the president (of BPSC) to say that there will be no normalisation and the examinations will be held in one shift and one paper will be given to all the students… We will not move from here until normalisation is assured to be removed.”
Khan Sir emphasized that the protest was non-political and aimed solely at addressing students’ concerns:
“We request the police administration to understand that your children are also studying here. We also teach them. We believe in the Constitution. That’s why we are not protesting on the streets. We reached the Dharna-sthal to protest in a constitutional manner. We have hopes from the government. We will stand with those who will listen to our demands.”
The protesting aspirants also demanded that students whose application forms were rejected due to server discrepancies be allowed to appear for the exams and requested an extension in the exam date if required.