Patna, Sep 28 — Patna witnessed heightened protest activity on Monday as thousands of protesters from several organisations took to the streets over a range of demands.
The situation turned tense at J.P. Golambar and Dak Bungalow Crossing, where police used barricades, water cannons and subsequently resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse protesters.
Nursing and paramedical students were among those participating in the demonstrations.
The students were protesting over examination results at the Bihar University of Health Sciences (BUHS) and demanding the removal of the Vice-Chancellor.
Tensions escalated as protesters moved from J.P. Golambar towards Dak Bungalow Crossing.
Police had erected barricades to prevent the march from advancing, but some protesters allegedly uprooted the barricades and attempted to move forward.
A scuffle subsequently broke out between police personnel and protesters.
Despite the police intervention, the protesters continued towards Dak Bungalow Crossing.
The administration had established a security perimeter at Dak Bungalow Crossing, including barricades and barbed wire, to prevent protesters from advancing further.
When some protesters attempted to breach the security arrangements, police deployed water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Protesters continued raising slogans despite the water jets, with some reportedly waving slippers towards the police.
The situation subsequently escalated, following which the police resorted to a lathi-charge.
Protesters alleged that several students were injured during the police action.
According to those participating in the demonstration, four students sustained injuries to their heads, hands and other parts of their bodies.
However, the exact number of people injured and the nature of their injuries could not be independently established from the available information. Official figures may differ from claims made by protesters.
Rural SP Komal Meena was also reportedly injured during the confrontation.
A major component of Monday's protests involved nursing and paramedical students of the Bihar University of Health Sciences.
The students alleged that around 80 per cent of candidates had failed their examinations and said the results had adversely affected their academic and professional futures.
They are demanding a review of the results and the removal of the university's Vice-Chancellor.
The 80 per cent failure figure is an allegation made by the protesting students and has not been independently confirmed.
Monday's protests involved several groups pursuing different demands.
One group of protesters reportedly moved towards the Chief Minister's residence, while CPI-ML activists had announced plans to surround Lok Bhawan.
Separately, protesters gathered with posters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The demonstrations added to the already heightened political activity in the state capital.
With multiple groups taking to the streets simultaneously, police deployed additional personnel at key locations and used barricading and crowd-control measures to regulate the movement of protesters.
The developments led to disruptions at several major points in central Patna as authorities attempted to prevent the demonstrations from moving beyond designated areas.