Bihar Police Use Water Cannons to Disperse Student Protesters

Thousands of students and job aspirants clashed with security forces in Patna on August 25, 2026, while marching toward the Chief Minister and governor's residences. The protesters demanded reforms to the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Teacher Recruitment Examination-4, including the removal of negative marking, a 100 percent domicile policy, and a single-stage examination structure. Some demonstrators also called for the cancellation of a December 2024 civil services exam, alleging that question papers were leaked.

Bihar Police used water cannons and lathi-charges to disperse the crowd after protesters breached barricades at the Dak Bungalow crossing. The unrest intensified following remarks by BPSC examination controller Rakesh Kumar Singh, who allegedly compared the protesters to barking dogs. While opposition leaders from the RJD and Congress supported the students, the ruling Janata Dal (United) accused the opposition of political opportunism.

State Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari and senior police officer K.S. Anupam later stated that the government had addressed most of the students' demands and that the situation had returned to a peaceful state. These demonstrations mirror a wider trend of youth-led exam protests across India, including recent movements in Jharkhand and actions by the Cockroach Janta Party that led to a federal minister's resignation in July.