In Patna, protest seeking more reservation runs into police wall

The protest, organized under the banner of the Aarakshan Badhao Samvidhan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti and led by Dalit rights activist Amar Paswan Azad, sought the enforcement of a 65 per cent reservation quota in Bihar, a figure the state government had announced but which was struck down by the Patna High Court last year.

Around a few hundred demonstrators set out from Gandhi Maidan on Tuesday, aiming to reach the Raj Bhavan. Police forces from more than twenty stations formed a barricade of makeshift iron gates at Dak Bungalow Chowk, halting the march. Seven participants were detained during the standoff but were later released. The current reservation structure in Bihar allocates 16 per cent to Scheduled Castes, 1 per cent to Scheduled Tribes, 18 per cent to Extremely Backward Classes, 12 per cent to Other Backward Classes and 3 per cent to Backward Class women.

The 65 per cent ceiling was initially raised by the Nitish Kumar‑led government following the 2022‑23 Bihar caste‑based survey, but the high court deemed it unconstitutional in 2024 and the Supreme Court declined to stay that order. Protesters are now demanding that the quota be placed in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution for legal protection, as well as extending reservation to the private sector, ending the diversion of SC/ST sub‑plan funds, halting bulldozer actions against Dalit homes, and ensuring reservation in contractual work and promotions for SC/ST employees. The demonstration underscores ongoing tensions over caste‑based affirmative action in the state.