Patna: Police in Patna used batons to disperse candidates on Monday protesting delays in the State Teacher Eligibility Test (STET), BTET, and librarian examinations. Hundreds of students had marched from Patna College campus with the intention of surrounding the Chief Minister’s residence.
The protesters reached Dakbungla Chauraha via Bhikhana Pahari, Khetan Market, and JP Golambar, but were stopped by barricades. A water cannon vehicle was deployed as candidates attempted to climb the barricades while raising slogans against the government. Police resorted to force to prevent the demonstrators from advancing further.
Before the lathicharge, five candidates, including student leader Khushboo Pathak, were taken to the CM House for talks. Magistrate MH Khan arrived at the scene, and one candidate reportedly held his feet, pleading: “Sir, please introduce me to the Chief Minister.”
The protests follow an announcement on August 4 by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the TRE-4 examination would be conducted in 2025 and TRE-5 in 2026, with STET now scheduled to precede TRE-5. This has sparked anger among thousands of candidates who had hoped to take STET before TRE-4.
Candidates have warned that the delay could render B.Ed and BTC trainees from the 2022–2024 and 2023–2025 batches ineligible to apply for TRE-4, preventing them from pursuing teaching careers. “Our entire preparation was based on the hope that STET would be held before TRE-4, but the government has suddenly changed direction,” one student said on social media.
This is not the first instance of unrest: on August 7, students demonstrated for five hours demanding the STET, with police also lathicharging participants after they attempted to reach the Chief Minister’s residence.
Education Minister Sunil Kumar defended the schedule, stating that over four lakh candidates are already STET-qualified and that holding the exam now would delay TRE-4. “STET will be conducted before TRE-5, and we will soon communicate the number of vacancies for TRE-4 to BPSC,” he said.
