Patna's Patliputra railway station turned into a battleground from late Saturday night until Sunday morning. Students on their way to an exam created chaos here for around 6 hours, targeting several trains and vandalising property. The situation deteriorated so badly that no train could leave the station for a long stretch. Order was restored only as morning broke.
Why The Trouble Erupted
At the root of the entire uproar is the police constable recruitment exam currently underway in Bihar. The state is holding a written exam for a total of 4128 posts of Prohibition Constable, Warder (Kakshpal) and Mobile Squad Constable, scheduled between 14 June and 17 June. The exam runs in two shifts — the first beginning at 10 AM and the second at 3 PM. Students due to sit the first shift on 14 June reached the railway station on Saturday night but simply could not board the trains because of the massive crowds. When they failed to get on, they blocked the trains from moving ahead, and that is where the chaos began.
Hour By Hour: How Things Spiralled
11.28 PM, Saturday: The Seemanchal Express pulled into platform number 4 at Patliputra station. The train, which originates from Anand Vihar, is scheduled to arrive at 11.15 and depart at 11.25. It was already packed to the brim by the time it crossed Dildarnagar in UP and Buxar and Ara in Bihar. By the time it reached Patliputra, there was no room to get inside. Students waiting on the platform could not board, and those left behind stopped the train. Once it halted, even the students already inside climbed down onto the tracks. They could clearly see that missing their exam was now certain, so they refused to let the train move on. Their reasoning was that if they could not appear, then no other student should either, forcing the exam to be cancelled.
12 AM: A special train (09151), the Madhubani Special, arrived at platform number 3, having come from Surat. Students from Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Darbhanga could have travelled on it to their exam. But the students holding up the Seemanchal realised that if this train departed, many aspirants would make it through — so they moved in front of the train at platform number 3 and stopped this one too. Meanwhile, a goods train was approaching Patliputra from the direction of Sonpur station; the moment it crossed the signal, the students halted it at the outer itself.
2.36 AM: Many students had been demanding an exam special train for the Seemanchal route. Acting on their demand, officials arranged a special train laid on specifically for the students. It arrived at 2.36, but because the goods train was still stuck at the outer, it could not reach the platform and took a long time to be brought in. Students bound for Araria, Katihar and Kishanganj could have travelled on it. Railway officials repeatedly assured them over the microphone that the train would get them there before the exam, but the students were in no mood to listen. They even vandalised this train, and as a result it too left the station only well into the morning, far behind schedule.
Administration Struggles To Restore Order
To bring the crowd under control, tear gas shells were fired and even aerial rounds were discharged, but nothing worked. Officials say a special train had already been arranged for the exam candidates and assurances had been given to transport them in time, but those creating the ruckus paid no heed.
What The Officials Said
Patna DM Dr. Tyagarajan said, "Around midnight, we received information that some people were creating a disturbance. We repeatedly told them not to cause chaos and to cooperate with those who wanted to take the exam. But some anti-social elements repeatedly pulled the emergency chain and raised various demands, such as requests for special trains, even though two special trains were already available. They also stopped students who wanted to leave. Because of these problems, we had to use mild force. The situation is now completely normal, and the trains have departed. The trains meant for those taking the exam have already left. Train operations are also running normally."
The IG Railway, meanwhile, said that every effort was made to resolve the difficulties of the exam-going students, but it appeared that the sole aim of these people was to create chaos and get the exam cancelled. They were not agreeing to any solution, which only deepened the trouble.
