Chirag Paswan appeals for dialogue with BPSC Protesters, condemns use of force by Bihar police

Patna (Bihar) [India], December 30 (ANI): Union Minister Chirag Paswan, a key supporter of the NDA government, on Monday, urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for immediate intervention in the ongoing BPSC candidates' protest.
The protesting students in Patna are demanding the cancellation of the Integrated Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024 conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) on December 13.
In a post on X, Chirag Pawan wrote "Being a key supporter of the NDA government on the issues of the youth and BPSC candidates of Bihar, I have appealed to the Bihar government and the Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar ji for immediate intervention, as a result of which the Chief Secretary (who is the highest official of the government) on behalf of the government has started the process of dialogue with the candidates and students. Soon the fruitful results of this initiative will be seen. This is the result of our government's positive thinking and sensitivity towards the students."
Paswan praised the state government's efforts to initiate dialogue with the students, stressing that the issue should be resolved peacefully and without political interference.
In his X post, he further condemned the lathi charge and use of water cannons by Bihar Police on Sunday to disperse protesting students in Patna. He called for restraint from the police and emphasized the need for a peaceful resolution to the students' demands.
Additionally, Paswan urged legal action against any officers responsible for excessive force.
"I have never been a supporter of the lathi charge and the use of water cannons on students in Patna yesterday. The police should exercise restraint. If students have come out on the streets with their demands, efforts should be made to solve their problems by explaining them in a peaceful manner, and not by using lathi-charge and water cannons. I have also told the Chief Minister that legal action should also be taken against those police officers who are found involved in such activities," he added in the post.
On Sunday, Bihar police lathi-charged and used water cannon to disperse the protesting BPSC aspirants in Gandhi Maidan.
Following the incident, Bihar Police registered an FIR against 600-700 individuals, including Jan Suraaj Chief Prashant Kishore, for unauthorized gatherings, instigating people and creating law and order issues in Gandhi Maidan.
In an official statement, the Patna Administration said, "Jan Suraaj Party was denied permission to organize Chhatra Sansad in front of the Gandhi statue. However, a crowd gathered at the Gandhi statue and created a law and order problem. A scuffle broke out between the crowd and Police. The crowd broke the loudspeakers installed by the administration. Despite repeated requests, these people violated the guidelines of the administration and disrupted public order. Therefore, the administration removed them by using water cannons and force."
"An FIR has been registered in Gandhi Maidan police station against 600-700 people including Jan Suraaj Chief Prashant Kishore on charges of unauthorized gathering of crowd, instigating people and creating law and order problems," Patna Administration added. (ANI)