Patna (Bihar) [India]: Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor was detained by the Patna Police early Monday while on an indefinite hunger strike demanding action against the alleged Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam paper leak.
The Patna Police also vacated the protest site at Gandhi Maidan, where Kishor and other protestors had gathered. They conducted vehicle checks at the site as part of their operations. Kishor, who began his fast-unto-death on January 2 in solidarity with protesting students, was taken into an ambulance by the police.
Before his detention, Kishor announced that his party would file a petition in the High Court on January 7 regarding irregularities in the BPSC exam. Speaking to the media, he said, “We will continue doing what we are doing now, there will be no change in it… We (Jan Suraaj Party) will file a petition in the High Court on the 7th.”
On Sunday, Kishor joined protesting students at Gandhi Maidan and urged Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav to lead the movement, citing his stature as a “tall leader” and Leader of Opposition (LoP).
“He (Tejashwi Yadav) is a tall leader. He is also the LoP. He should have led the protests. I have been telling them to lead the protest. We will step aside. He said he was coming to Gandhi Maidan with five lakh people. Students (and their issues) should be talked about. Politics can happen whenever. We don’t have any party banner here. We care about the agenda of the students,” said Kishor.
Highlighting the passion behind the protest, Kishor remarked, “This is not a dharna. This is the passion of the people of Bihar to better their conditions, to secure a better future. In this cold weather, some are singing, and you can see people from across the board sitting here.”
The protest has drawn sharp political reactions. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicizing the students’ movement, labeling protestors as the BJP’s “B team.”
“It is being completely politicized. We feel that the people of Bihar will have to recognize these people who are the BJP’s ‘B’ team and are trying to crush this independent movement. This is highly condemnable,” Yadav said.
Yadav also addressed allegations about Prashant Kishor’s use of a vanity van, claiming, “Actors sit in the vanity van, and the producer and the director make them sit. We know who the producer is, who the director is, and why the actor was made to sit. Everyone knows.”
The controversy centers on demands for the cancellation of the Integrated Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024, conducted by the BPSC on December 13, following allegations of a question paper leak. Students and protestors have called for action to ensure transparency and accountability in the examination process.