Huge protests over Railways exam: Train vandalised, bogie set on fire. 10 updates

Theprotestors stormed at the Gaya Junction, raising slogans, and set fire to the Bhabhua-Patna InterCity Express.

Nirnaya Mohanty (Reporter trainee)

Amid violent protests by aspirants, the railways ministry on Wednesday suspended non-technical popular categories (RRB-NTPC) and level 2 exams. Alleging irregularities in examinations of the Railway Recruitment Board, the protestors earlier in the morning set a bogie of the Bhabua-Patna Intercity Express on fire.

Protesters claimed the recruitment process is “unfair” as it allows candidates with higher qualifications to compete for jobs meant for those with relatively lower qualifications.

The protestors today gathered at the Gaya Junction raising slogans, and later they set fire to the Bhabhua-Patna InterCity Express. However, no one was injured.
Protests were also from Patna, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Buxar, and Bhojpur districts.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday urged job aspirants not to destroy public property and assured them that their grievances would be resolved as candidates went on a rampage over alleged irregularities in a recruitment exam by the public transporter.
On Tuesday, students who appeared for the RRB non-technical popular categories exam, 2021, held a protest at the Bihar Sharif railway station alleging discrepancies in the results. Aspirants also blocked the Kolkata-New Delhi main railway line at Rajendra Nagar Terminal in Patna.
Several trains were cancelled or ran on alternative routes on Tuesday on account of the protests.
The central government has said these protests would now be categorised under “unlawful activities” that may get one banned for life from obtaining railway jobs.
No candidate can be recruited for multiple posts, thereby ensuring that every deserving candidate gets selected, the ministry said. “We cannot legally bar graduates from applying to posts which require 10+2 qualifications,” said railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
He said shortlisting of candidates has been done separately for each level based on options exercised and the educational qualifications of the candidates.
“For the second stage computer-based test of each level, candidates have been called 20 times for the community-wise vacancies notified against each RRB,” the minister said.
Of the total vacancies, 24,281 posts are open to graduates, 11,000 are for under-graduates. These posts include train assistant, guard, junior clerk, timekeeper, and station master across various verticals in its zones.