Train set ablaze by students protesting against ‘cheating’ in Railways entrance exam
Protesters protest the Railway's decision to hold the tests in two parts, arguing that the second round for final selection amounted to "cheating" those who participated and passed the first stage of the RRB-NTPC computer-based test (CBT), which was issued on January 15.
FollowStudents' violent demonstrations in Bihar over the Railway Recruitment Board's Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB-NTPC) exam 2021 have extended throughout the state, with demonstrators setting fire to a parked passenger train stoning an operating train in Gaya. Images from the incident show a train engulfed in flames and the fire department racing to extinguish it. Many police officers have been sent, but they have been unable to manage the hostile students.
Protesters have squatted on railway tracks, vandalised property, battled with security officers, and targeted multiple trains, causing train traffic in the state. On Monday, police removed the tracks and detained at least four people in Patna, the state capital.
Protests were recorded in Patna, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Buxar, and Bhojpur. Protesters protest the Railway's decision to hold the tests in two parts, arguing that the second round for final selection amounted to "cheating" those who participated and passed the first stage of the RRB-NTPC computer-based test (CBT), which was issued on January 15.
The demonstrators believe that the RRB notification published in 2019 only specified one examination and that the government was tampering with their destiny. The matter was brought to light when the results were announced on January 15. The Ministry of Railways provided a clarification at the time, stating that the second stage test was explicitly stated in the announcement.
Due to the demonstrations, some trains were cancelled or ran on other routes on Tuesday. After violent demonstrations by job applicants, the Railways has decided to stop its Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) and Level 1 exams, a spokeswoman for the national transporter, said today. It has also constituted a high-level committee to investigate the issues of individuals who passed the tests administered by various railway recruitment boards (RRBs) and those who failed them.
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