Failed Class 12 students continue protest in Bihar

Hundreds of Class 12 students who failed to clear the Bihar board exams continued their protest for the seventh consecutive day in Patna on Tuesday demanding their answer sheets be checked again and action taken against top officials, police said.

More than eight lakh of the over 12 lakh students, who appeared for the Class 12 exams conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), failed this year. The results were declared last week.

The angry students, led by the CPI student wing AISF, staged a protest outside the Bihar Inter Council office. They later tried to march towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's official residence in the high security zone, but were stopped by the police personnel.

A group of protesting students also clashed with the cops. However, the police resorted to baton-charge to disperse the protesters but failed. They later arrested over a dozen protesting students.

"We want re-examination for all and action against the BSEB chairman," a protesting student said.

A police official said the students raised slogans against the Chief Minister, Bihar Education Minister Ashok Choudhary and BSEB chairman Anand Kishore over the poor results.

In a repeat of last year's events, the BSEB on Friday cancelled the result of Class 12 topper in the Arts stream Ganesh Kumar and arrested him for committing forgery among other charges.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has assured the failed students can apply online for re-evaluation or verification of their answer sheets and these results will be out within a month. He also promised the BSEB will hold compartmental exams soon.

--IANS

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