Bihar student protest: Police charge Prashant Kishore and party leaders

A police case has been registered against Prashant Kishor, the election strategist turned political leader, along with the leadership of his Jan Suraaj Party, several coaching center owners, and around 700 unidentified protesters in relation to the massive student protests that took place in Bihar on Sunday.

They are accused of organizing an unauthorized gathering, provoking unrest, and disrupting public order.

The police stated that the Jan Suraaj Party had conducted a protest march without the necessary approval and led demonstrators to Patna's Gandhi Maidan.

The protest turned violent, with demonstrators damaging police loudspeakers and clashing with law enforcement and officials on duty. Despite multiple warnings from the authorities, the protesters ignored the instructions and caused a disturbance, said the police.

The protests were sparked by allegations of a paper leak in the 70th Combined Competitive Examination by the Bihar Public Service Commission.

The students, seeking a re-test, gathered at Gandhi Maidan and marched towards JP Golambar, with the intention to meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. However, the police had to intervene, using batons and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Prashant Kishor showed his full support for the students and participated in the protest march. He suggested that a delegation of students meet with the Chief Secretary to address their concerns, but the students insisted on meeting only the Chief Minister, which escalated the situation.

Earlier, Kishore had proposed holding a "Chhatra Sansad" at Gandhi Maidan on Gandhi Jayanti to discuss student issues and plan further actions, but the city administration denied permission for the event.

Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, which officially rebranded as a political entity in October, plans to contest all seats in Bihar during the upcoming state elections.

After spending two years traveling across the state, Kishor aimed to bring a fundamental shift to Bihar's politics, emphasizing issue-based discussions over the traditional practice of offering sops.