Secondary Education Examination (SEE) students resorted to violent protests in several central Tarai districts of Province 2 on Saturday to protest the government’s decision to suspend the remaining exams.

The protesting students clashed with security personnel at Kalaiya and Jitpur of Bara district, leaving about 20 people injured. More than a dozen vehicles, including a car used by a state minister, were vandalised. Stating that the state should not ruin their future, the agitating SEE examinees demanded the immediate rescheduling of the examination, a probe into the question leak and action against the guilty.    

The federal government on Friday decided to suspend the ongoing SEE tests of remaining subjects in Province 2 following back-to-back question paper leaks. In line with the direction from the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Controller of Examination suspended the exams until further notice after question papers of science and social studies, scheduled for Thursday and Friday respectively, were leaked consecutively.  

In Jitpur of Bara, protesters hit the streets since early morning by burning tyres. More than a dozen people, including security personnel, were injured during sporadic clashes between the protesting students and police personnel.

Read: Frustrated students take to streets, burn tyres after SEE exams put off over question leak

Two seriously injured cops were rushed to Birgunj for treatment. Police fired dozens of warning shots in the air and lobbed teargas canisters to contain the situation.

The enraged protesters torched a vehicle (Na 1 Jha 712) belonging to Armed Police Force (APF). More than a dozen other vehicles were also vandalised in the area. Window panes of Area Police Office in Jitpur were smashed as the protesters hurled stones.  

Similarly, violent clashes ensued in Kalaiya as well. Police said they had to intervene after the mob resorted to arson and vandalism.  

In Dhanusha district, students took out protest rallies forcing traders to pull down shutters in Janakpur. Transportation was also disrupted due to the protest.

The protesters vandalised a vehicle used by provincial State Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Yogendra Raj Yadav at Sapahi in Dhanusha. Windshields were smashed in the incident, said police.

Security personnel claimed that in various parts of Janakpur, especially in Pidari Chowk and Bhanu Chowk, the protestors were not just students. It is suspected that people who have been working as middlemen in the Labour and Employment Office infiltrated the student protest. In Mahottari, the SEE students staged demonstrations at several places. They also blocked the road along the Bardibas-Aurahi section by burning tyres.