NTPC Protest: Students Set Train Coach At Gaya Station On Fire, Railway Min Urges Not To Destroy 'Own Property'
Railway Job Aspirants Protest: The Group D examination of the Railways has been stopped following the uproar by the students. Railways has formed a committee to look into the allegations of rigging.
New Delhi: Students allegedly set a bogie of the Bhabua-Patna Intercity Express on fire at the Gaya Railway Station on Wednesday, news agency ANI reported the police as informing.
"Situation under control now. They have set it (coach/train) on fire, we have identified some of them," said Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aditya Kumar.
"We want to tell the aspirants that they should not get influenced by anyone, and not damage government property. A committee has been formed by the government to look into the matter," the SSP added, as quoted by ANI.
Talking about the agitation, as protester stressed that "CBT 2 exam date was not notified; no update on Railway exam which was notified in 2019...The result is still awaited...We demand cancellation of the CBT 2 exam and release of the exam result".
Gaya, Bihar | Aspirants vandalized train over alleged irregularities in Railway exam
— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2022
CBT 2 exam date was not notified; no update on Railway exam which was notified in 2019...Result is still awaited...We demand cancellation of CBT 2 exam and release of exam result: Protester pic.twitter.com/9eyW8JphYa
The uproar regarding the examination that started from Bihar has also reached UP. In Prayagraj, students staged protests after which the police reached their hostel in search of the protestors.
Railway Minister Urges Students To Not Take Law Into Their Hands
Railways have formed a committee to look into the complaints of the candidates who passed and failed in the examinations conducted by various Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB). According to a spokesperson, after hearing the complaints and concerns of both sides, the committee will submit a report to the Railway Ministry.
As the protest turns violent, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged the aspirants to not take the law into their hands: "I request students not to take the law into their hands. We will seriously address the grievances and concerns raised by them." As he urged job aspirants not to destroy their "own property", he mentioned that due process will be followed if they damage public property.
"All RRB chairmen have been asked to listen to the concerns of students, compile them and send them to the committee. An email address has been set up for this purpose. The committee will go to different parts of the country and listen to grievances," he added.
Students can submit their grievances before the committee till February 16. The committee will examine the grievances and submit its recommendations before March 4, the Union Minister said.
The Railways has decided to postpone NTPC and level-1 examinations following protests. Earlier, the railways had issued a general notice, warning its job aspirants that those found involved in vandalism and unlawful activities while protesting will be barred from ever getting recruited in the railways.
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Support Protestors
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi have launched a scathing attack against the ruling government over the matter.
Rahul Gandhi supported the youth opposing the examination process conducted by the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) and said that every youth is free to raise their voice for rights.
Sharing a video of students singing the national anthem as they stop a train in Bihar, he tweeted, "Every youth is free to raise their voice for their rights, to remind those who have forgotten that India is a democracy, was a republic, is a republic !"
Similarly, Priyanka Gandhi urged that the students' grievances be heard while also asking for the arrested protestors to be released. "Talk to the youth associated with both the examinations and solve their problems. Stop the vandalism along with the searches at the hostels of the students," she wrote.
"The arrested students should be released. The order banning them from (railway) jobs for protesting should be withdrawn. My appeal to the protesting students is that there is a lot of power in Satyagraha. Keep walking on the path of Satyagraha in a peaceful manner," she added in another tweet.
Protest Against RRB NTPC Exam Results
Earlier on Tuesday, students who appeared for Railway Recruitment Board's Non-Technical Popular Categories exam 2021 held a protest at the Bihar Sharif railway station alleging discrepancies in the results. Hundreds of students had blocked the Kolkata-New Delhi main railway line at Rajendra Nagar Terminal in Patna on Tuesday.
The protests took place in Patna, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Buxar, and Bhojpur districts. At some places, angry protesters blocked the railway track and clashed with security forces.
The protesters claimed that only one exam was mentioned in the RRB notification issued in 2019. They accused the authorities of playing with the future of the students. The matter gained momentum after the results of the examination were declared on January 15. The Ministry of Railways had issued a clarification, stating that the notification clearly mentioned that it was the second stage of the examination. The first stage of the CBT exam was a common test for all the candidates.
Notably, the results of the RRB NTPC for the CBT-1 exam was released on January 15 for shortlisting the candidates for the CBT-2.
(With Agency Inputs)
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