Left-wing students hold demonstration, clash with police in support of Bihar bandh
Members of left-wing student organisations held demonstrations and clashed with police in several districts of Bihar on Saturday (July 25, 2026) in support of the
Members of left-wing student organisations held demonstrations and clashed with police in several districts of Bihar on Saturday (July 25, 2026) in support of the State-wide bandh called against NEET paper leak and police action on protesting students, officials said. The bandh turned violent in Patna, Saran, Siwan, Aurangabad and Bhagalpur, while districts like Samastipur, Nawada and Nalanda witnessed mild protests, police said. Security has been tightened with heavy police deployment across all districts of the State. Protesters pelted stones and bricks at police personnel at Dak Bungalow Chouraha in Patna, after which police detained several students. "Protesters pelted stones at us. They even tried to break the barricade. We have detained several students. Police are on high alert. We will trace the troublemakers and take appropriate action against them," Patna SSP Kartikeya K. Sharma told reporters. “Police had to use mild force to disperse the crowd to prevent it from swelling,” an officer said. “All leaves of police personnel have been cancelled to maintain law and order,” a senior official said. Police held flag marches in several areas, including Patna's Paliganj locality, as a precautionary measure. The Patna district administration has ordered private schools in Patna to remain closed on Saturday (July 25, 2026) during the bandh. Janshakti Janta Dal (JJD) chief Tej Pratap Yadav visited Ram Gulam Chowk in Patna to extend support to the protesting students. He was, however, later detained by the police.
In Siwan district, AISA, RYA and other left-wing organisations staged protests at J.P. Chowk. MLA and CPI(ML) leader Amarjeet Kushwaha, who was present during the protest, said, "Protest has been underway at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for the last 26 days. Students also came out on the streets of Patna on Wednesday (July 22, 2026). However, both in Delhi and in Patna, they faced brutal police action. Even women and girls were not spared." He alleged that the government has adopted a dictatorial approach towards handling protests. Clashes broke out among different groups of protestors in the district. "We have conducted photography and videography through drone cameras. Police will take strict action against miscreants, both from within and outside the district. There were three groups of protestors, of which only one had taken permission for protest. They clashed near Gandhi Maidan, and police had to fire 6-7 rounds of tear gas shells and use mild force to contain the situation," SP Puran Chandra Jha told reporters. He said an FIR will be registered against miscreants and strict action will be taken. The protests turned violent in Chhapra in Saran district, where students pelted stones on police personnel, set a district administration vehicle on fire, vandalised several other vehicles and ran away with barricades. Police had to resort to mild force to contain the violence. In Aurangabad district, two police officers and a journalist were injured during stone pelting by protestors, officials said.
The BriefWire