Bhim Army holds ‘Rights March’ in Patna, activists detained after clash with police

Patna, Aug 29 (IANS) Protests continued in Patna on Saturday as Bhim Army activists staged a ‘Rights March’ from the Gandhi Maidan, demanding an 85 per cent domicile policy for government recruitments in Bihar.

The march began at Gate number 10 of Gandhi Maidan, with the protesters planning to proceed towards Raj Bhavan.

However, police personnel had erected barricades along the route to prevent the march from moving forward.

A large number of security personnel were deployed between Gandhi Maidan and Raj Bhavan in view of the protest.

Tensions escalated when Bhim Army activists attempted to cross the barricades, resulting in a scuffle between the protesters and police personnel.

Several activists were subsequently detained by the police.

The protesters demanded that 85 per cent of government jobs in Bihar be reserved for candidates with a state domicile, saying that local youth should receive greater opportunities in state government recruitment.

The activists also raised concerns related to various competitive examinations, including the upcoming Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) exams.

In addition, they demanded provisions allowing Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe applicants to file FIRs online.

Despite the planned march towards Raj Bhavan, the protesters were stopped by the police before reaching their destination.

The confrontation and subsequent detentions brought the march to an early halt.

The Bhim Army’s march in Patna drew a relatively smaller turnout compared with several other protests held in the city in recent days.

The limited participation appeared to reduce the visibility and impact of the demonstration.

In comparison, recent protests organised by student groups and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) witnessed significantly larger gatherings, leading to confrontations between protesters and security personnel at several locations in Patna.

A large number of protesters were also detained during those demonstrations.

During an RJD protest, Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav was also detained by the police amid the demonstrations.

The comparatively lower turnout at the Bhim Army march, therefore, stood in contrast to the scale of some of the recent student and political protests in the state capital.

–IANS

ajk/khz