Violence erupted in Patna during a Bihar bandh over the NEET paper leak. Protestors clashed with police, demanding Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Police used tear gas, lathicharge, and made several detentions across the state.
Violence broke out between law enforcement personnel and protestors in Patna on Saturday during a statewide shutdown in Bihar called by several opposition parties and social organisations over the NEET paper leak controversy and recent police actions against student agitators. Protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, vandalised and toppled police vehicles during the protest in Patna., prompting police mobilisation across the affected areas.
Student protests in Siwan also turned violent as protesters clashed with police. Stone pelting were reported with police using tear gas shells and resorting to lathicharge to disperse protestors. Tension also prevailed in Chapra district today after the student protest over the NEET examination issue turned violent, with demonstrators allegedly pelting stones at police personnel, officials said.
Police Response and High-Profile Detentions
Talking to the reporters, Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma highlighted the controlled response implemented by law enforcement to disperse the crowd. “We have used limited force and dispersed the crowd. Some individuals have been detained and will be questioned further. We are now going to other locations to clear it,” SSP Sharma said.
Patna City DSP Raj Kishore elaborated on the targeted arrests made by authorities. “People have come from outside as well, and we have caught those who pelted stones,” the official said.
Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) National President Tej Pratap Yadav joined students protesting at Gandhi Maidan in Patna in support of their demands. He was later detained by the police during the demonstration.Speaking during his detention, Tej Pratap Yadav backed the protesting students and urged the government to address their concerns. “The children’s demands are legitimate. The government must fulfil their demands, and we stand firmly with them. I am ready to lay down my life for the students and youth,” Yadav told reporters.
Security Tightened Amid Vandalism
A traffic Police booth was vandalised during the protest in Bihar’s capital city. Stone pelting also occurred, resulting in police resorting to firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.
Security has been significantly tightened across Bihar with heavy deployment of police personnel at key locations, including Gandhi Maidan in Patna, and heightened vigil across sensitive areas to maintain law and order. Visuals from Gandhi Maidan showed an increased security presence as authorities remained on high alert in view of the bandh call.
Political Leaders Vow to Continue Agitation
Members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) blocked the Samastipur-Patna main road.
On Friday, speaking after being arrested in connection with the violence during the NEET protest in Patna, CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurav said the agitation would continue until the resignation of the Union Education Minister. “We have to fight and win, and we will take Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Until then, the youth of the entire country will not stop raising their voice. This fight should continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns and the children who committed suicide in the NEET paper leak do not get justice,” Saurav said.
AISA’s Bihar State President Dhananjay also criticised the government’s action against the protesters, alleging that students were being targeted for demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister. “We were on the streets demanding the resignation of one man, Dharmendra Pradhan… This government is trying to put all of us in jail… The kind of arrests you have made, the kind of inhumanity you are subjecting the youth students of Bihar to, will be completely intolerable,” he said.
Context of Nationwide Demonstrations
Earlier on Wednesday, violent clashes and stone-pelting broke out outside the state Congress headquarters in Patna as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers held high-voltage demonstrations across multiple states to protest the Congress party’s march toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Kalyan Marg (LKM) residence in New Delhi. The nationwide counter-protests, spanning Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh, follow intense political escalation in the national capital over the NEET-UG 2026 examination controversy and alleged police aggression against student groups. (ANI)
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