Protests erupt in Patna as police lathi-charge STET aspirants demanding exam before TRE-5

Chaos broke out at the Dak Bungalow crossing in Patna on Thursday as police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse a group of aspirants protesting against the proposed schedule of the Teachers Recruitment Exam (TRE-5). The protesters were demanding that the Secondary Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) be conducted before TRE-5, as per the earlier announced academic calendar.

According to police officials, the demonstrators had gathered at the Dak Bungalow crossing, causing disruption to traffic movement in the area. Security forces stated that despite multiple warnings and requests to clear the road, the protestors allegedly attempted to jump over barricades and continued to block the intersection. “Mild force was used to disperse protestors,” said Patna (Central) SP Diksha.

Protesters, however, claimed that the police action led to injuries among several aspirants. They alleged that the lathi-charge was unprovoked and caused chaos among the crowd. Officials denied reports of any injuries resulting from the baton charge.

Aspirants at the protest said they were demanding that the STET be held ahead of TRE-5 to ensure fair opportunity for BEd-qualified candidates. “According to the examination calendar, STET was to be held twice a year. However, not even one round has been held so far, affecting those who completed their BEd. If TRE-5 is held before the STET, thousands of eligible aspirants will be denied the opportunity to appear in the exam,” said Rahul Kumar, one of the protesters.

The protest highlights growing concerns among teaching job aspirants in Bihar over delays in the conduct of eligibility examinations. Many fear that the current schedule may leave a large number of qualified candidates unable to apply for recruitment if STET is not conducted beforehand. No official statement has yet been issued regarding a revised timeline for either exam.bih