High drama and chaos unfolded in central Patna on Thursday as hundreds of Sub-Inspector (Daroga) candidates staged a fierce demonstration, breaking through police barricades and engaging in a confrontation with security forces at the busy JP Roundabout.

The clash broke out when police intercepted the protesting candidates to stop them from advancing further into restricted zones.

While law enforcement authorities managed to push back the core group of agitators and clear the main intersection, a heavy concentration of students remains gathered in the surrounding areas, keeping the security forces on high alert.

The candidates are protesting the sudden cancellation of the main written examination held for the recruitment of 1,799 Sub-Inspector positions.

Demanding an immediate withdrawal of the cancellation order, the agitators have urged authorities to restore the previously declared results and resume the hiring process.

Protesters accused the state government and recruitment authorities of deliberately harassing young job seekers.

Candidates stated that after putting in months of rigorous preparation and passing multiple stages, the abrupt annulment of the process has pushed their careers into limbo.

The agitation on Thursday marks the second major demonstration by Sub-Inspector candidates this month.

On October 5, aspirants launched a similar protest march from Gandhi Maidan toward the Chief Minister’s residence and the office of the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC).

During that attempt, police intercepted the rally before it could reach the JP Roundabout.

The unrest stems from an official release issued by the BPSSC on September 23, 2026.

The Commission unexpectedly scrapped the main written examination—originally conducted in two shifts on May 27, 2026—citing unavoidable reasons.

In its formal statement, the BPSSC noted that information regarding fresh examination dates would be announced separately, triggering widespread outrage among successful candidates who are now demanding accountability and immediate reinstatement of the selection process.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a wanted mother-son duo linked to an organised drug syndicate and facing cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, officials said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Neelam Rana, 47, wife of Rajesh Rana alias Bunty, and her son Rahul Rana, 27. Both were wanted in FIR No. 74/2026, registered under Sections 3 and 4 of MCOCA at Tilak Nagar police station, and FIR No. 968/2021, registered under Sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act at Khyala police station.

Proceedings under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had been initiated against both accused by the concerned courts. Rajesh Rana, who is the head of the syndicate, has already been charge-sheeted in the MCOCA case and is currently in judicial custody.

According to police, a team from the Western Range-II unit of the Crime Branch was constituted on the directions of DCP Harsh Indora following specific intelligence received by Head Constable Pramod Kumar. The team was led by Inspector Satish Malik under the supervision of ACP Raj Pal Dabas.

The team included Sub-Inspectors Anuj Chhikara and Pradeep Dahiya, Assistant Sub-Inspector Shreeom, and Head Constables Ravinder Singh, Pramod Kumar and Azad.

SI Anuj Chhikara and HC Ravinder Singh conducted technical surveillance to trace the accused. Following sustained efforts, the team located them at their residential premises in Bindapur and Mahavir Enclave, Delhi, on October 27.

After the court proceedings and completing the necessary legal formalities, both were arrested under Section 35(1)(c) of the BNSS.

Police said Neelam Rana had been involved in 13 criminal cases since 1995, including cases under the Excise Act and the NDPS Act. Non-bailable warrants were also pending against her in two NDPS cases. Rahul Rana is also an accused in an NDPS case and a separate case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to investigators, Neelam Rana began selling liquor illegally in the Khyala and Tilak Nagar areas with her husband and his family. She later allegedly became involved in procuring and selling heroin, also known as smack. Her son Rahul Rana allegedly joined the illegal drug trade.

The police further alleged that the family operated an organised syndicate led by Rajesh Rana, generating substantial proceeds from drug trafficking. Following his arrest, Neelam and Rahul went into hiding and frequently changed locations to evade arrest.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday came down heavily on Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah over his ‘Dimagi Naxal’ remark, accusing him of “encouraging ideas” that seek to create anarchy in the country.

This comes after the actor launched a scathing attack on the government, sharing a video of himself talking to the camera as he flaunted his badge of ‘Dimagi Naxal’ and called himself ‘proud Dimagi Naxal’, a term coined by Prime Minister Modi in his Independence Day address in August.

Speaking to media, BJP National Spokesperson RP Singh said: “The kind of language Naseeruddin Shah has used recently, along with his past statements that have been anti-national and supportive of Pakistan, and the way he has spoken about West Bengal this time, shows how his thinking is encouraging ideas that seek to create anarchy in the country.”

While acknowledging Shah’s craft, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said: “We fully respect his art. However, we cannot forget how he praised Pakistan during the release of a book in 2015. How can we forget that Naseeruddin Shah supports Mughal invaders who came to this country, persecuted people, and destroyed temples? You live in India, earn your livelihood and respect here, yet praise Pakistan.”

“He is not ‘Dimagi Naxal’, rather, he is ‘Dimagi Pakistani’,” Kadam remarked while speaking to media.

Union Minister and RPI-A chief Ramdas Athawale also acknowledged that Naseeruddin Shah is a good film actor who possesses a social conscience, while adding: “He should not have a Naxalite mindset. He has the right to suggest measures to the government for the welfare of society, but he has no right to criticise the BJP.”

“Naxalism has been eliminated from the country, so making such remarks is not right,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly rebuked the veteran actor, calling him “extremely harmful to India’s democracy”.

Reacting to Rijiju’s criticism, Congress MP Jebi Mather said: “Anybody who says anything the BJP doesn’t like, they come up with many terms, like Tukde-Tukde, Urban Naxal… that is their way of functioning. So, nothing is surprising about this.”

Trinamool Congress-Mamata MP Saugata Roy also backed Naseerudin Shah, saying that the actor has just expressed his views. “This (expressing views) is not liked by the BJP; that is why Kiren Rijiju criticised it,” he told media.