As India celebrated its 73rd Republic Day on Wednesday, on the other hand, many youths were on the streets of Bihar protesting over the alleged discrepancies in the Railway Recruitment Board’s examination. It’s been more than 48 hours since the protests turned violent and images of police barging into the hostels of the aspirants and train coaches being burnt down have been virally shared on the internet.
What is the Railway Recruitment Board?
The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) is a government agency in the Indian Railways that works under the Ministry of Railways. The Railway Recruitment Board holds examinations for the recruitment of candidates to Group C and Group D non-gazette civil service and engineering posts in the Indian Railways.
Why are students protesting in Bihar?
The angst arose as the aspirants were claiming the incongruities in the Railway Recruitment Board’s Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB-NTPC) exam 2021. Students are opposing the decision made by the railways to hold the examination in two phases, as the students are citing that no such clause was mentioned in the notification released by the railways in 2019.
The authorities decided to conduct the examination in two computer-based tests (CBT) phases. The results of the 1st Computer Based Test in group D of the Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) were declared on the 14th of January and shortlisted students for CBT-2. The decision to hold the exam in two phases is unfair to those who have cleared the exam in the first go, as no such criteria for the recruitment were mentioned in the notification, the protestors are claiming. The protestors are accusing the authorities of playing with the future of the students.
What is the Indian government doing to handle the heated situation?
The authorities have repudiated the allegations made by the students and the protestors and have reiterated that the second stage of the computer-based examination was mentioned in the notification released by the Railways. A clarification notice was issued after the result of the first computer-based examination was released, which said, “It is reiterated that the procedure for shortlisting of candidates for the second stage computer-based test (CBT) had already been given elaborately under Para 13 of the original notification, i.e., CEN 01/2019 (published on 28.02.2019).”
The notice also mentioned, “While the first stage CBT was a common examination for all the candidates, Para 13.2 of the notification clearly states that in the 2nd stage CBT there would be a separate examination for each group (viz., Levels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) with differing graded levels of difficulty. Accordingly, all posts falling within the same level shall have a common 2nd stage CBT. Therefore, if a candidate is eligible and has opted for more than one level (as per educational qualification), he/she will have to appear in the corresponding 2nd stage CBT for each level as given in Para 13.6 since the standard (difficulty level) for each group of posts will be different (i.e., of graduate or undergraduate level).” Looking at the uncontrolled situation, the government has suspended further examinations and has formed a committee to tackle the complaints of the protesting students. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has appealed to the students not to take law and order into their own hands as the complaints of all the students would be addressed seriously. The candidates can submit their grievances to the committee by February 16th, and a report would be made by March 3rd, the railway ministry said.
The violent side of the protest
Clashes between protestors and police officials are seen in different parts of Bihar. The protestors were seen burning and vandalizing the railway properties as pictures of train coaches engulfed in fire in Bihar’s Gaya were seen. The agitation has affected the east-central railway zone; around 25 trains have been vandalized by the angry protestors. Many trains on that route have been cancelled.
Angry protestors in Jehanabad burned the effigies of the Prime Minister. In Sitamarhi, police fired into the air to disperse the demonstrators at the railway station. Similar incidents were reported from different parts of Bihar. The police were seen barging into the hostels of the students, and the brutality was seen as the videos went viral on social media.
The Bihar Bandh Call
To protest the irregularities in the Railway Board results, the All India Student Union and other youth organizations have called for a Bihar Bandh on January 28th. The students have called the move to form a panel a “hoax”. The student organization has refused to bow down before the government as students in the country are facing massive unemployment.
Rahul Gandhi has extended his support to the protestors. He asserted his support by saying that he is with them against the policies of the Bhartiya Janata Party.
Also Checkout: The Supreme Court’s understanding of Hindu, Hinduism, and Hindutva
