Day after Patna police lathicharge, 4 arrested TRE aspirants sent to jail, 5,000 protesters booked
Protest began with aspirants marching from Patna College towards the BPSC office, seeking immediate issuance of the recruitment notification
Police try to stop BPSC TRE 4 teacher candidates as they protest, in Patna on Friday. (ANI) Police have booked around 5,000 unidentified Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE)-4 aspirants and arrested four individuals, including student leader Dilip Kumar, following clashes during a protest in Patna on Friday over delay in the release of notification for the phase-4 teacher recruitment by Bihar Public Service Commission’s (BPSC).
The FIR was lodged at Gandhi Maidan police station on the basis of a magistrate’s statement after Friday’s demonstration by candidates demanding the release of the TRE-4 advertisement. Police alleged that protesters disrupted traffic, breached barricades, disturbed public order and misbehaved with personnel deployed on duty.
The protest had begun with aspirants marching from Patna College towards the BPSC office, seeking immediate issuance of the recruitment notification. Police had erected barricades near JP Golambar to stop the procession.
Police personnel baton-charge aspirants of Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE) 4.0 during a protest demanding the release of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination notification, in Patna, Bihar, Friday, May 8, 2026. (PTI Photo)
According to protesters, candidates were held back for nearly two hours before the situation escalated with police subsequently using force to disperse the crowd after some demonstrators allegedly attempted to break through barricades. Several candidates, including women aspirants, were reportedly injured in the lathicharge .
On Saturday, student leader Dilip Kumar was taken into custody, brought to Gardanibagh Hospital for a medical examination, and later sent to Beur Jail along with three other aspirants after being produced before a court in Patna.
“Injustice is being done to students. We are demanding vacancies, but are being sent to jail. We are asking for jobs, yet we are being handcuffed and kept in custody like criminals,” Kumar said while getting inside police van.
Patna City SP (Central) Diksha said: “In yesterday’s protest, some students initially became aggressive and tried to break barricades, leading to a confrontation with the police. During the incident, there was pushing and mild lathicharge… Some police personnel were also injured.”
“An FIR has been registered against around 5,000 unidentified persons. Traffic remained disrupted for a considerable period, making legal action necessary. Cases have also been registered over breaking barricades and clashes with police personnel,” she said.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari appealed to aspirants to remain patient and said the government was committed to resolving their concerns.
“It is possible there has been some delay in TRE-4, and I accept that. But seeing future teachers on the streets and police chasing them is a painful sight for me,” Tiwari said.
Calling the aspirants “members of our family”, he said the government’s doors were “open 24 hours” for students wishing to place their demands before authorities.
On the police action and arrests, Tiwari said, “Law will take its course. I have told the Chief Minister that these are our aspirants and they had come with their demands. Students should be viewed from the perspective of students.”
The minister also indicated that the government intended to move ahead with the recruitment process soon.
Over the past two years, around 2.27 lakh teachers have been recruited through TRE-1, TRE-2 and TRE-3 in the state, while nearly 3 lakh contractual teachers have reportedly obtained state employee status after qualifying competency examinations.
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