Prashant Kishor, Founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, was arrested in the early hours of Monday, January 6, while on a fast unto death demanding the cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam, as stated in a report by India Today. He was later released on bail.
Upon his release, Kishor addressed a press conference, stating that he had been granted "unconditional" bail. Earlier, he had refused to accept the bail, claiming the conditions were "unreasonable."
Kumar Amit, a Patna High Court advocate who spoke at the conference, explained, "After the judge had passed the order, we argued before her that all the sections under which Prashant Kishor was booked are bailable. As such, he should have been granted bail by the police itself. The matter need not have been taken to the court."
He continued, "We reasoned before the judge that under such circumstances, it was not proper to insist on a written undertaking. We also cited a number of judgments by higher courts, including the Supreme Court. The judge very kindly agreed to modify her earlier order and granted unconditional bail."
Kishor, visibly upbeat, announced that he would continue his 'Satyagraha' at the Gandhi Maidan, saying, "The concluding point should be the same as where things had commenced."
Earlier that morning, Kishor had been "forcibly removed" from his protest site at Gandhi Maidan and transported to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in an ambulance by the police.
Patna District Magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh confirmed, "Yes, Kishor and his supporters, sitting on dharna at Gandhi Maidan, were arrested by the police on Monday morning. They will now be produced before a court."
A video released by PTI captured the moment Kishor was taken away, showing senior Patna Police officers removing him amidst strong opposition from his supporters, who chanted Vande Mataram.
An FIR was filed against Kishor and his "150 supporters," accusing them of conducting an "illegal" protest at the site.
Kishor had been on a hunger strike since January 2, demanding the cancellation of the BPSC's integrated 70th combined (preliminary) competitive test, held on December 13. The exam had been marred by allegations of a question paper leak. The BPSC had ordered a retest for a select group of candidates, which took place on January 4.
According to the BPSC, out of 12,012 candidates, approximately 8,111 had downloaded their admit cards, and 5,943 appeared for the retest. The retest was conducted smoothly without reports of misconduct, the commission said in a statement.
Kishor emphasised that the Jan Suraaj Party would file a petition in the high court seeking the cancellation of the BPSC exam on Tuesday. "It is not a matter of decision for us whether we will continue this (protest) or not. We will continue doing what we are doing now. There will be no change in it. We (Jan Suraaj Party) will file a petition in the high court on January 7 (Tuesday)," he said.
Following Kishor’s removal, Patna Police also conducted vehicle checks on those leaving the Gandhi Maidan area.
