NEET paper leak: Bihar students clash with security forces; police use bullets, batons

Patna: Many students and at least 14 police personnel were injured in clashes during protests over NEET paper leak across several districts of Bihar on Thursday, prompting the security forces to fire in the air and baton-charge to disperse the agitators, officers said.

Protesters in Jehanabad, Darbhanga, Katihar, Begusarai, and several other districts hurled stones at the police personnel, breached barricades and vandalised properties of the government and the railways during the demonstrations over the paper leak in the medical entrance test and demand for resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

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A large number of students took out a protest march from Kargil Chowk to Kako Mor in Jehanabad, where the students allegedly turned violent and attempted to breach police barricades, SP Kota Kiran Kumar said.

"The police had to fire 20-30 rounds in the air in view of the violent protest. Now, we are assessing the situation and tracing the injured. Town SHO and two other officers are among the injured."

The situation has been brought under control, and those involved in violence will face strict action, he added.

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Jehanabad DM Tshering Y Bhutia said violence by protesters was "against the law" and strict action will be taken against them.

"They vandalised public property of the railways, which is against the law. Administration is very strict on this. Arrests will be made soon. Violence will not be tolerated," she said.

The DM said protesters had hurled stones at her official residence as well, which is near the railway tracks.

She also claimed that no injuries were reported due to aerial firing by the police.

At Darbhanga's Lohiya Chowk, stone-pelting by agitators during a protest against the NEET paper leak resulted in serious injuries to the city SP and a constable, and minor injuries to around a dozen police officers, the officials said.

The police baton-charged the protesters to disperse them, an official said, adding that a few people were injured in the police action.

Darbhanga District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar said efforts were underway to identify the organisers of the protest.

Five people have been taken into custody, he said, adding that seniormost police officers were present during the protest.

Hundreds of students hurled stones at security personnel during a protest over NEET paper leak in Katihar on Thursday, prompting police personnel to baton-charge to disperse the agitators, a senior officer said.

Fourteen people were arrested in connection with the violent protests in the district, he said.

They held the demonstration in front of the district collectorate office, raising slogans against the BJP-led central government and demanding the resignation of Pradhan.

The protesters pelted the police personnel with stones, which necessitated the use of force to disperse the crowd, the officer said.

"Everyone has the right to express their views constitutionally. However, action will be taken against people damaging public property or engaging in illegal activities," Katihar DM Ashutosh Dwivedi told reporters.

He said the police are trying to identify those involved in violence.

"I appeal to everyone, especially students, to present their viewpoint using proper channels. Legal action will cause trouble for them in the future, which we don't want to happen," the DM said.

Another official said that anti-social elements were involved in the protest, who also engaged in a scuffle with media persons.

In Begusarai, the crowd swelled and turned unruly, prompting the police to use mild force to disperse them. Some students were injured in the police action, an officer said.

A few security personnel were pelted with stones, resulting in injuries to them, he said.

Protests over the NEET paper leak were also reported in several other districts, including Munger and Muzaffarpur.

The demonstrations in these districts came a day after the state capital Patna witnessed violent protests, leading to clashes between the police and protesters.

The police had to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd in Patna.