Patna: Bihar police on Thursday lathi-charged aspirants who were protesting in Patna demanding the Secondary Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) examination, resulting in many students being injured. A large number of students had gathered at JP Golambar to demand the STET exam be conducted.
During the protest, the police attempted to stop them with barricades, but a dispute broke out between the students and the police, after which the police resorted to a lathi charge. The protesting students claim that the police used force without any provocation.
Videos from the scene show a protester being kicked by the police during the chaos, with many students seen running from the spot holding placards. The police can also be seen carrying out a lathi charge to disperse the students.
Injured Students Admitted To Hospital
According to News 18 Hindi, due to the police action, many students suffered injuries and have been admitted to the hospital and some of them have suffered head injuries.
Reason For Protest?
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently announced Teacher Recruitment Exam-4 (TRE-4) and TRE-5 for teacher recruitment, in which an assurance was given to implement the domicile policy. However, aspirants who have not yet passed the TET exam will be deprived of this opportunity.
In light of this, aspirants are demanding the STET exam. They say that the Bihar School Examination Board had earlier stated that the TET exam would be conducted twice a year, but this has not happened yet.
Earlier on Monday, CM Nitish Kumar directed the Education Department to prioritise domicile residents in teacher recruitment, starting from the upcoming Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4) in 2025.
The new policy will give preference to Bihar residents in teacher recruitment, ensuring that local candidates have a better chance of securing jobs.
The Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4) will be conducted in 2025, followed by TRE-5 in 2026. The State Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) will be held before TRE-5.
