Patna, Jan 30 (IANS): Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor on Thursday made a sensational claim that a scam worth over ?1,000 crore has taken place in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) recruitment process, alleging that exam seats were sold for amounts ranging between Rs 30 lakhs to Rs 1.5 crore.

Speaking at a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Arwal, Kishor commented on the ongoing protests by BPSC candidates in Patna, who are demanding the cancellation of the 70th BPSC preliminary exam.

"Since my hunger strike, I have been saying that most of the BPSC seats have already been sold. This is a scam of more than Rs 1,000 crore. Seats have been sold for Rs 30 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore," Kishor alleged.

He further stated that even if the exam is cancelled, the affected candidates will not get justice, as the seats have already been sold.

Kishor’s claims come at a time of heightened unrest, with hundreds of BPSC aspirants blocking Bailey Road in Patna, leading to severe traffic congestion on Thursday.

The protests have prompted a strong police presence near the BPSC office, with the administration detaining some of the candidates. The matter will also be taken up in court on Friday, adding further weight to the controversy surrounding the BPSC recruitment process.

Kishor claimed that this is not the first instance of an exam paper being leaked in Bihar.

“This is not the first exam where the paper has been leaked. In most of the exams conducted in the last few years, the question papers have been leaked,” he alleged.

Kishor also criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing his government of failing to act against those responsible for the paper leaks.

“The Nitish Kumar government has not arrested a single person involved in the paper leak. Instead, they have used police force and lathi-charged the students who were protesting,” he said.