Key facts
- Police used water cannon and detained dozens of protesters in Bihar, India.
- Protesters demanded the cancellation of a civil services recruitment examination over alleged question paper leaks.
- The Bihar Public Service Commission test is highly competitive, with over 300,000 candidates for 2,000 positions.
- The state government had previously denied widespread leaks but ordered a re-examination at one center.
- Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari stated the government had addressed student demands.
Police in India's eastern Bihar state used water cannon and detained dozens of protesters on Tuesday who were demanding the cancellation of a civil services recruitment examination over allegations of leaked question papers and other wrongdoing. The Bihar Public Service Commission test is a highly competitive state-level examination held to recruit officers to the state administration. The protests erupted over a test conducted in December 2024, for which more than 300,000 candidates appeared for 2,000 positions that were filled in June. The state government has previously denied allegations of widespread question paper leaks but did order a re-examination at one center at the time. Visuals from news agency ANI showed hundreds of protesters in the state capital Patna breaking through police barricades before water was sprayed from a cannon to push them back. Protesters were also seen being hauled into a police bus. A senior police officer, K.S. Anupam, told Reuters that the protest was peaceful and most demands had been met. Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari also stated the government had addressed students' demands, adding that the door for dialogue remained open. India has seen a rise in demonstrations over test irregularities, with similar protests in the neighboring state of Jharkhand leading to the cancellation of civil service examinations there.