Bihar exam protests turn violent: Lathicharge, stone pelting in three districts after Jantar Mantar rally
3 min readPatnaJul 23, 2026 08:44 PM IST
Security personnel stop Patna University Joint Forum Committee members during a protest against alleged irregularities and examination paper leaks, in Patna on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
As lathi charge and water cannons met protesters in Bihar for the second consecutive day in a spillover of the Jantar Mantar protest, criticism has grown against the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NDA government for its handling of the situation. This comes as the BJP and its ally Janata Dal (United) appealed for calm, with the former urging protesters to “refrain” from using foul language during the protest.
Thousands of protesters in Katihar, Darbhanga and Begusarai marched against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. The protests escalated into stone pelting in Katihar, and the police using “mild lathicharge” in Begusarai to push back protesters.
This comes a day after a solidarity march from Gandhi Maidan to Raj Bhavan in Patna led to police using lathicharge and water cannons.
In Begusarai, a lathicharge to push protesters away from the district collectorate led to police using mild force. In Katihar, hundreds of students gathered at the locked collectorate gate. The standoff escalated when protesters pelted stones, leaving an on-duty Circle Officer (CO) injured and prompting the police to use baton charge. Videos from the protest site showed dozens of protesters fleeing police action.
Students participate in a march demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, in Patna on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
Darbhanga too reported stone pelting and baton charge. Several policemen were wounded, officials said, with the police eventually sending reinforcements.
“The situation has been brought under control. Four to five people have been detained. CCTV recordings and video footage are being examined to identify the miscreants,” Darbhanga DM Kaushal Kumar told reporters.
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress called it “growing angst” against the Central government and have been critical of the handling of the situation.
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“Reaction to the Jantar Mantar protest is natural in Bihar, which famously led the massive student-led Bihar Movement, or JP Movement, in 1974. A continuous string of paper leaks and irregularities has pushed students to their limit. What is happening in Delhi and elsewhere was bound to spill over here. It is growing against NDA government at Centre,” RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said.
Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari accused the BJP of “trying to divert attention from the students’ protests by attempting to storm our office”.
“The partisan nature of the administration is clear, given that the police registered our FIR against BJP workers a full day after the incident. As for the students, our top leadership stands firmly behind them and their cause,” he said.
JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, however, asked protesters to be “patient”.
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“Now that PM Narendra Modi has assured strong action against those accused in the NEET-UG paper leaks, students should exercise restraint,” he said, cautioning them against “hoodlums”.
Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
- Tags:
- Begusarai
- Bihar
- Darbhanga
- Katihar
Source: Indian Express
