Bihar civil service exam results declared, which sparked mega protests

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The Bihar Public Service Commission on Thursday (January 23) released the result of the BPSC 70th exam (prelims). According to the commission, 21,581 candidates have passed the exam. The Combined Competitive Exam (CCE),  conducted on December 13, has been in the eye of the storm over allegations of massive paper leak that triggered huge protests.


The commission said it continued with the tradition of announcing the results within 45 days of exam.


"A total of 328,990 candidates took the exam, out of which 9,017 belonged to general category, 3,295 to Scheduled Caste category and 211 to Scheduled Tribes," the BPSC said in a release.





एकीकृत 70वीं संयुक्त (प्रा.) परीक्षा का परिणाम घोषित! कुल 21581 अभ्यर्थी सफल। सफल उम्मीदवारों को बधाई और आगामी परीक्षा के लिए शुभकामनाएँ। परीक्षा संचालन में सहयोग देने वाले सभी अधिकारियों और कर्मियों का आभार।#BPSC#BPSC70th #BPSCExam pic.twitter.com/iXsrz0hUTJ
— Bihar Public Service Commission (@BPSCOffice) January 23, 2025






The official document concluded by saying that the results will be affected by a petition filed in Patna High Court, including of those who were debarred.


A re-exam was held on January 4, 2025, due to allegations of irregularities during the original exam on December 13, 2024. The re-exam took place at 22 centres in Patna, with only 5,943 of the 12,012 registered candidates appearing for the test.


The exam was conducted again after students and aspirants raised serious concerns about the question paper's quality. Many said the general knowledge and general studies questions were of "school level", while others pointed out errors in the options provided. Social media backlash called into question the competence of BPSC officials in curating a fair and challenging examination for one of Bihar's most prestigious recruitment processes.

Protests across Bihar

The decision to hold a re-exam led to widespread protests across Bihar, with aspirants staging sit-ins for over 15 days. The unrest escalated when protesters, including students, were lathi-charged outside the BPSC office in Patna. Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who joined the protests in solidarity with the aspirants, launched an indefinite fast on January 2.


A week ago, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan met with a delegation of BPSC aspirants and heard their grievances assuring them of issuing necessary instructions to relevant authorities.


The governor also appealed to Prashant Kishor to end his indefinite fast, citing health concerns.