Patna Police on Friday lathi charged hundreds of aspiring Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates protesting outside the commission’s office at Bailey Road. 

The candidates were protesting against reports of potential normalisation in the 70th Combined Preliminary Examination scheduled in Bihar on December 13.

However, Secretary of the BPSC, clarified that the commission has not announced any plan for normalisation.

On the other hand, amid the reports that educationist Faizal Khan (Khan Sir) was whisked away by the police when he joined the agitating BPSC candidates, Patna Police categorically denied any such development on Friday.

Khan Sir, along with Guru Rahman, openly supported the agitating BPSC candidates following the lathi-charge in Patna. They reached the dharna site in the Gardanibagh locality in Patna to show their solidarity with the candidates.

Earlier in the day, educationists like Khan Sir and Guru Rahman publicly voiced their opposition to the government’s handling of the situation and expressed solidarity with the affected candidates.

Khan Sir, a well-known educator, condemned the use of force and emphasised the need for reforms in the examination process. 

While the commission has dismissed rumours about normalisation, the candidates are seeking official assurance to avoid any last-minute surprises that could affect their prospects.

Supported by student leaders, the candidates demanded that the exam be conducted without normalisation, as has traditionally been the case.

Protesters argued that normalisation is unnecessary, especially when the exam is being conducted in one shift across all centres.

The demand is for the exam process to remain as it has been in the past, ensuring uniformity and fairness without additional calculations.

Since a single set of questions is being used, candidates believe normalisation — a method often applied to adjust for variations in difficulty across multiple shifts — is irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Satya Prakash Sharma, Secretary of BPSC, clarified that the commission has not announced any plan for normalisation.

“If normalisation were to be applied, the commission would have mentioned it explicitly in the notification or issued a separate notice,” Sharma said.

He dismissed the protests as baseless, stating: “Why should the commission clarify regarding the misleading talks about normalisation? Those protesting are not serious candidates but individuals who do not focus on their studies.”

He emphasised that only one per cent of candidates typically pass, and those genuinely preparing for the exam are not involved in such demonstrations.

The preliminary examination for the 70th combined BPSC examination is scheduled on December 13, 2024, in a single shift across 925 centres across Bihar and around 4.80 lakh candidates are appearing in the examination.

The admit card was released on the commission’s website on Friday.

The protests highlight a broader concern among candidates about transparency and fairness in recruitment processes.

This growing unrest underscores the importance of clear communication between examining bodies and aspirants to ensure trust in competitive examination systems.

Earlier, RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, extended his support to the protesting candidates, further amplifying their demands for clarity and fairness in the examination process.

(compiled from syndicated feed)