Indian police use water cannon at Bihar protest

Police in India’s eastern Bihar state yesterday used water cannon and detained dozens of protesters attempting to march on the governor’s residence demanding the cancellation of a civil services recruitment examination over allegations of leaked test question papers and other wrongdoing.

The Bihar Public Service Commission test is a highly competitive state-level test held to recruit officers to the state administration.

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The protests have erupted over the test conducted in December 2024. More than 300,000 candidates appeared for 2,000 positions that were filled in June, after two rounds of tests and an interview, local media reported.

The state government has previously denied allegations of a widespread question paper leak, but it did order a re-examination at one centre at the time. Visuals showed hundreds of protesters in Patna breaking through police barricades before water was sprayed from a cannon to push them back.