Patna police stopped a planned march by Bihar Police driver recruitment aspirants near Gate No 10 of Gandhi Maidan on Friday, detaining several protesters who intended to proceed to the chief minister’s residence over unfilled vacancies in the women’s category.
Security personnel dispersed the gathering and erected barricades before the march could begin. The detained candidates were released in the evening, according to the police. Gandhi Maidan station house officer Akhilesh Kumar Mishra said the protesters had gathered without permission and that some were later released on bail bond.
The aspirants said they had planned a peaceful kalash yatra followed by a foot march. Their proposed procession included soop baskets, kalash associated with Chhath Puja and the national flag. They said they had sought prior permission for the programme.
The candidates are demanding that more than 1,200 vacancies left unfilled in the women’s category of Bihar Police driver recruitment be offered to eligible male candidates from the corresponding categories, if the recruitment rules allow such a provision. The demand centres on whether vacant posts can be reassigned after the women’s allocation remains unfilled.
The aspirants have been staging a sit-in at Gardanibagh for several days. Their protest has continued as they seek a government decision on the vacancies and the recruitment process. The issue also highlights the administrative question of how unfilled category-specific posts are handled once the original pool of eligible candidates has been exhausted.
Ranjit, one of the protesters, said the prolonged agitation was placing pressure on candidates and their families. He said people at home had begun questioning why the aspirants were continuing to sit at the protest site instead of studying or pursuing other work. Ranjit urged the government to consider male applicants for vacancies remaining after the women’s allocation.
He also referred to the Bihar Police sub-inspector recruitment process while questioning why a similar approach could not be adopted for driver recruitment. The candidates’ demand, however, remains subject to the applicable recruitment rules and any decision by the authorities overseeing the process.
Mishra said the protesters had gathered illegally at Gandhi Maidan because they did not have permission to hold the protest there. The police action took place before the planned march could reach the chief minister’s residence. The source report did not specify whether the state government or recruitment authorities had issued a formal response to the demand for redistribution of the vacancies.
