PATNA (PTI): Chaos erupted during a protest here on Wednesday over the alleged leak of a question paper of the December 13 combined preliminary exam conducted by Bihar PSC, prompting the state police to baton charge job aspirants.

Job seekers claimed that several protesters were injured during the police action but a senior officer denied the charge.

The Congress condemned the police action on job aspirants, while Independent MP from Purnea Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav called for a Bihar bandh on January 1, 2025, if the December 13 combined preliminary examination is not cancelled.

A group of protesters marched towards the Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC) office to press their demands, and a confrontation between police personnel and the job seekers ensued after they were stopped, the officer said.

"A group of protestors, including job aspirants, gathered near the commission's office on Bailey Road in the second half on Wednesday. They wanted to proceed towards the BPSC office, which the police did not allow. Some of them managed to reach the BPSC office and disrupted the movement of traffic.

"Despite repeated requests by the security personnel, they refused to vacate the road. It is a restricted area where protests are not allowed. Finally, mild force, including baton charge was used to disperse the protestors," Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra told PTI.