Patna police clash with job-seeking protesters a month after Gen Z rallies

Indian police clashed with students and unemployed youth in Patna on Tuesday as they marched toward the chief minister’s residence, demanding jobs and transparency in government recruitment exams. The protest, which began in the early afternoon, saw a few thousand demonstrators breach security barricades. Police used water cannons and lathis to disperse the crowd, and a video of the confrontation was shared by Al Jazeera.

The clash comes a month after a nationwide wave of Gen Z protests that led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25. Those demonstrations, organized by the online Cockroach Janta Party, targeted alleged irregularities in competitive exams. The resignation was a rare political setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose rule has seen India slip in several democratic indices since 2014. In Bihar, the government’s focus on job creation has intensified, as government positions are seen as the most secure employment option for millions of young people.

Police detained at least 25 protesters in Patna and later released them, according to the Indian Express. Patna Police Superintendent Kartikeya K Sharma said the police would identify those who stone‑pelting and would take action. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said his office was listening to every student’s voice, and a delegation of student representatives met with the top bureaucrat Pratyaya Amrit. Amrit told reporters the discussion was positive and that a favourable response would follow within a few days. Similar protests have erupted in Karnataka, where a BJP‑linked student body staged a protest near the state chief minister’s residence over recruitment irregularities. The Cockroach movement has announced a march next month in Delhi to protest the Modi government’s failure to fulfil promises of change, including the withdrawal of police cases against protesters.