Protesters blocked roads in Patna and burned tires on Friday in support of a band assembled by student-backed groups and political parties over alleged discrepancies in railway recruitment exams.

Several student organisations, including the leftist All India Students Association (AISA), have joined the band’s call to protest against alleged irregularities in the Railway Recruitment Board’s 2021 Non-Technical Popular Category (RRB-NTPC) exam.

At least four people have been arrested for vandalism amid reports of vandalism amid ongoing protests that began earlier this week, while several others, including teachers at prominent coaching institutions, were arrested for inciting and condoning violence .

Meanwhile, the state’s major coalition of opposition parties expressed support for the student-led band’s call, while several members of the ruling Nitish Kumar-led NDA government urged authorities to withdraw all complaints against protesters.

The instigators, who are mostly job-seekers for railway jobs, allegedly burned four empty carriages of a stationary train in Gaya on Wednesday and blocked rail traffic between Gaya and Jahanabad. Many of them are also involved in stopped trains such as Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani express, Sampoorna Kranti express, South Bihar Expres and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express to Mumbai.

Nearly five hours of protests were also held in Patna, Bagarpur and Sasalaam, Gaya, Bhojpur, Buksar, Muzaffarput and Samstipur districts on Tuesday and Wednesday Activity.

The Ministry of Railways has set up a committee to review protesters’ grievances. This comes a day after the ministry issued a bulletin on January 25, 2022, that “railway job seekers engaged in sabotage/illegal activities may face lifetime ban” from government jobs.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times