As per reports, Prashant Kishore, founder of the Jan Suraj Party has announced an indefinite hunger strike from 1700 hours on Thursday (02 January) in solidarity with aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in the 70th Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) preliminary examinations. The announcement was made at Gandhi Maidan in Patna and an ultimatum of 48-hour was reportedly given to the Bihar government to cancel the exam.

Despite the BPSC announcing a retest at the affected center on Saturday (04 January), protests have reportedly escalated including sit-ins in Patna’s Gardanibagh area. Police actions reportedly involved lathi charges and water cannons, with an FIR filed against nearly 700 individuals, following a rally in Gandhi Maidan. Further, the BPSC states that no evidence of an alleged paper leak exists and that the examination will not be canceled.