Today, Thursday, March 21, a significant number of students gathered to protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal United JD(U) offices in opposition to the Bihar government's plan to cease plus-two classes (Class XII) in colleges starting April 1, reported PTI.

Police personnel deployed in Patna

The movement of traffic was also blocked by a section of students as they were demonstrating on the Beer Chand Patel Marg, in Bihar's capital city, Patna.

The Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajeev Mishra told PTI that the protesting students were later dispersed by the security forces. He further said that sufficient security personnel have been strategically deployed in the surrounding areas. The personnel would further ensure thorough monitoring and prevent any potential untoward incidents from occurring.

Why are they protesting?

The demonstrators, primarily consisting of Class XI students, demanded the implementation of the decision to commence from April 1, 2025, that is from next year onwards.

In a formal notification issued last month, the Bihar government made public its decision to cease conducting the plus-two (intermediate) classes in colleges affiliated with different universities across the state, effective from April 1.

Now the intermediate education in the state for all three streams, namely, Science, Arts, and Commerce will be imparted only in the higher secondary schools of the state, according to the new notice.