India News | NEET Protest Turns Violent in Bihar, Cops Injured; Tej Pratap Yadav Detained in Patna

Saran (Bihar) [India], July 25 (ANI): Tension prevailed in Bihar's Chapra on Saturday after a student protest over the NEET examination issue turned violent, with demonstrators allegedly pelting stones at police personnel, officials said.

Senior district officials, including Saran District Magistrate Vaibhav Srivastava and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vineet Kumar, rushed to the spot with heavy police deployment after receiving information about the violence.

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Police dispersed the protesters and brought the situation under control. Officials said the law and order situation is now under control, although tension continues to prevail in the area.

Meanwhile, in Patna, Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) National President Tej Pratap Yadav joined students protesting at Gandhi Maidan in support of their demands. He was later detained by the police during the demonstration.

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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.

A traffic Police booth was vandalised during the protest in Patna. The protest turned violent with a clash between Police and protesters. Stone pelting also occurred, resulting in police resorting to firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

In Aurangabad, two policemen were injured during the protests.

The demonstrations were held across Bihar following a 'Bihar Bandh' call over the ongoing NEET examination issue, with students demanding reforms in the education system and action over the alleged irregularities in the examination process.

Security has been significantly tightened across Bihar ahead of the statewide bandh called over the NEET paper leak issue, 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.

Demonstrators vandalised and toppled police vehicles in the state capital, while police personnel were seen dragging a man away during the protest. Protesters are also demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) blocked the Samastipur-Patna main road as part of the statewide shutdown over the NEET paper leak issue in the state. The protesters also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Meanwhile, 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 and students of Bihar to, will be completely intolerable," he said.

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 examination controversy and alleged police aggression against student groups. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)