Bihar: Massive Protests Against RRB-NTPC Exams, Protestors Set Train On Fire

Visuals from the incident showed a train engulfed in flames and the fire brigade trying to control the fire. Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers to control the situation.
Protestors set train on fire in Bihar

Protestors set train on fire in Bihar

Violent protests led by students continued on Wednesday in Bihar against the Railway Recruitment Board’s (RRB) Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) exam of 2021. Protests spread throughout the state as protestors set a parked passenger train on fire and stoned a running train in Gaya.

Visuals from the incident showed a train engulfed in flames and the fire brigade trying to control the fire. Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers to control the situation.

Protesting students squatted on tracks, vandalized properties, clashed with security forces and targeted several trains, hampering train movement in the state. Police had cleared tracks and arrested at least four persons in the capital Patna on Monday.

Angry students burned an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the railway tracks and also raised slogans against the government, in Jehanabad.

In Sitamarhi, police had to resort to firing in the air to disperse angry demonstrators at the railway station. Protests were reported from Patna, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Buxar, and Bhojpur districts of the state.

Notably, the protestors are opposing the Railway’s decision to hold the exams in two stages claiming that the second stage for final selection amounted to “cheating” against those who appeared and cleared the first stage of RRB-NTPC for the Computer-Based Test (CBT) which was released on January 15.

They also claimed that there was only one examination mentioned in the RRB notification issued in 2019 and the government was playing with their future.

The issue came to light when the results were declared on January 15. The Railway Ministry issued a clarification at that time stating that the second stage exam was clearly mentioned in the notification.

As a result of the protests, several trains had to be cancelled or rerouted on alternative routes on Tuesday.

In light of the massive protests, the Railways decided to suspend its NTPC and Level 1 tests, a spokesperson for the national transported informed today.

A high-level committee to examine the grievances of those who passed and failed the exams under different RRBs has been formed.

The Ministry of Railways tweeted, “Railway constitutes High Power Committee to look into Concerns of Candidates over NTPC CBT-1 Result. Candidates may submit their Grievances to Committee till 16th February, 2022.”

Several sections of the East Central Railway (ECR) zone were hindered and the running of more than 25 trains was disrupted due to the stir causing inconvenience to passengers.

Meanwhile, a statement was issued by the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday warning the candidates of being “Debarred for Life” from obtaining a Railway job.

The statement said, “RRB NTPC Protest videos will now be examined by the Ministry with the help of specialised agencies. Upon proper examination, those found in indulging in any of the mentioned activities, will be penalised accordingly. They will be liable to both police action as well as lifetime debarment from a Railway job”.

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