On January 6, 2025, in Patna, Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor was apprehended by local police during the early hours of Monday while he was engaged in an indefinite hunger strike, advocating for accountability regarding the purported leak of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination papers. The police also cleared the area at Gandhi Maidan, where Kishor was conducting his fast alongside other demonstrators, and they undertook inspections of vehicles departing from the vicinity. Kishor initiated his fast on January 2 to protest against the alleged irregularities associated with the BPSC, aligning himself with students who are demanding the annulment of the BPSC examination. Following his detention, he was transported in an ambulance, and prior to this, he announced that the Jan Suraaj party would submit a petition to the High Court on January 7 concerning the BPSC issues. Kishor emphasized the unwavering commitment of his party to the cause, stating, “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.” Earlier that same day, Kishor had joined the protesting students at Gandhi Maidan and called upon Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), to take charge of the protest, highlighting Yadav’s stature as a prominent leader and his position as the Leader of the Opposition. Kishor’s remarks were a response to comments made by the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, suggesting that Yadav should have assumed leadership of the protest instead of Kishor himself. He remarked, “He (Tejashwi Yadav) is a tall leader. He is also the LoP. He should have led the protests. I have been telling them to lead the protest. We will step aside.” Kishor further asserted the importance of focusing on the students’ issues, stating that political affiliations were secondary to the agenda at hand, and he reiterated that the gathering was not merely a demonstration but a passionate expression of the students’ concerns.
