Patna Agitation Ends After 21 Days as PhD Scholars, Guest Faculty Agree to Call Off Protest
Bihar PhD scholars protest ends after 21 days with a consensus with Governor Syed Ata Hasnain. A committee to review demands within 15 days. Read the article to get the complete information.
After 21 days of continuous agitation, the Bihar PhD scholars' protest finally came to an end. PhD scholars and guest faculty members in Bihar agreed to roll back their protest following a consensus with Governor Syed Ata Hasnain on Monday. A six member delegation of the All PhD Holders and Research Association held a two hour discussion with the governor at Lok Bhagwan. The protest had been underway since August 4, 2026. Protester Kumud Patel had been on hunger strike since the very beginning of this movement.
What Were the Protestors Demanding?
The key requests included the rollout of UGC regulation 2018 Table 3A in the appointment of assistant professors. The protestors wanted the maximum age limit for applicants raised to 55 years. Regularisation of assistant professors appointments in Bihar’s universities was another major demand. The protesters also asked for the implementation of a domicile policy.
The Governor’s secretariat released a statement confirming that the agitators assured the hunger strike was called off following the meeting as their demands were being considered. The Statutes for Appointment of Assistant Professors 2026 will remain in abeyance until necessary amendments are made after considering the association’s major demands.
Committee to Review Demands Within 15 Days
The governor following talks with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary will form a panel of prominent educationists from Bihar and administrators with experience in the education sector. The committee will review the protests demands within 15 days. It will deliberate on restoring the maximum age limit for assistant professors to 55 years. It will also consider introducing an objective written examination with written test marks and API scores combined to prepare a merit list. The committee will contemplate demands related to API calculation including excluding matriculation and intermediate marks and retaining NET/JRF weightage. PhD weightage will be increased to not less than 30 with research publications and experience included with clear definitions to prevent misuse. For guest assistant professors the panel will review demands for minimum pay scale and dearness allowance. A uniform renewal process across universities and verification of qualifications, research papers and experience will also be considered. Eligible guest faculty could be allowed to work up to 65 years. The committee will consider a gradual reduction in the maximum age limit instead of cutting it at once. Regular assistant professor recruitment against vacancies every year will also be ensured. With the PhD scholars' protest called off all attention now moves to the committee review within 15 days.
Faham is an education specialist and has over three years of experience in the education and edtech industry, specializing in digital and educational content creation. He holds an MBA in Marketing and Human Resources from Swami Vivekanand University. Throughout his career, Faham has developed expertise in creating engaging and informative content across diverse educational domains.
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