NEET paper leak: Bihar students clash with security forces; police use bullets, batons
Protesters in Jehanabad, Darbhanga, Katihar, Begusarai and some other areas hurled stones at police personnel, broke barricades and damaged properties belonging to the government and railways during demonstrations over the paper leak in the medical entrance test and the resignation demand of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
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SP Kota Kiran Kumar said that a large number of students took out a protest march from Kargil Chowk to Kako Mor in Jehanabad, where students allegedly resorted to violence and tried to break through police barricades.
“The police had to fire 20-30 shots in the air due to the violent protest. We are now assessing the situation and tracking the injured. The injured include the Town SHO and two other officers.”
He added that the situation was under control and those involved in the violence would face strict sanctions.
Also Read: Salman Khan appeals to students to return home and says those behind the leak will take action Jehanabad DM Tshering Y Bhutia said the violence committed by the protesters is “unlawful” and strict action will be taken against them.
“They damaged the public property of the railways, which is against the law. The management is very strict on this issue. Arrests will be made soon. Violence will not be tolerated,” he said.
The DM said protesters also threw stones at his official residence near the railway tracks.
He also claimed that no injuries were reported due to police firing from the air.
Stone pelting by agitators during a protest against leakage of NEET papers at Lohiya Chowk in Darbhanga led to serious injuries to the city SP and a police constable and minor injuries to around a dozen police officers, officials said.
An official said that police used batons to disperse the protesters and that several people were injured in the police action.
Darbhanga District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar said efforts were on to identify the organizers 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 the NEET paper leak protest in Katihar on Thursday, prompting police personnel to charge batons to disperse the agitators, a senior official said.
He said 14 people were arrested in connection with violent protests in the area.
They held the demonstration in front of the district collection office, shouted slogans against the BJP-led central government and demanded Pradhan’s resignation.
Protesters pelted police personnel with stones, necessitating the use of force to disperse the crowd, the official said.
“Everyone has the constitutional right to express their views. However, action will be taken against people who damage public property or engage in illegal activities,” Katihar DM Ashutosh Dwivedi told reporters.
He said police were trying to identify those involved in the violence.
“I urge everyone, especially students, to present their perspectives using appropriate channels. Legal action will create problems for them in the future, which we do not want to happen,” DM said. he said.
Another official said that anti-social elements were also involved in the protest and there was a scuffle with members of the media.
In Begusarai, the crowd grew larger and became unruly, prompting the police to use light force to disperse them. A police officer said that some students were injured during the police intervention.
He said several security guards were pelted with stones, resulting in injuries.
Protests over leak of NEET papers were also reported in some other districts, including Munger and Muzaffarpur.
The demonstrations in these areas come a day after the state capital Patna witnessed violent protests that led to clashes between police and protesters.
Police had to charge with batons and fire tear gas grenades to disperse the crowd in Patna.
