In Photos: Patna student protest over paper leaks turns violent, cops use water cannons

A student-led protest in Patna – over leaked question papers – turned violent after cops lathi-charged the protesters and used water cannons to stop them from reaching Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s residence

A large number of BPSC (Bihar Public Service Commission) job aspirants, along with other students, began their pre-announced march from Patna's Gandhi Maidan and reached the Dak Bungalow crossing, where police detained several individuals

Heavy police deployment has been ensured at all major intersections in the city. Additional forces, including CRPF and RAF personnel, were deployed at Dak Bungalow crossing

Slogans were chanted, and placards waved as the crowd moved on Choudhary’s home. But the initially largely peaceful protest ran into roadblocks, literally, after the cops put up barricades

When the protesters tried to move them, the police responded with force. Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed lines of students and cops in riot gear on either side of a row of yellow metal barriers

They broke through police barricades in their bid to gherao the Bihar chief minister's residence and when the law enforcers used water cannons to disperse the agitators, instead of budging, they started a 'rain dance'

The students have been protesting at Patna's Gardanibagh area for weeks, with their main demands including a single-tier examination in BPSC-TRE 4, transparency in the recruitment process, recruitment exams by the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) and fair opportunities for Hindi-medium candidates

Citing irregularities in the 70th BPSC exams, the protesting students demanded that the exam be cancelled