In what appears to be the first case of violence over enforcing Covid-19 curbs, students went on the rampage in Sasaram town, the headquarters of Rohtas district in Bihar, for several hours on Monday after the administration tried to close down coaching institutes flouting the state government’s order to shut down all educational institutions till April 11.

The students hurled brickbats, indulged in arson and disrupted traffic. They also attempted to torch the collectorate in Sasaram.

The students became angry when the local administration team, including the executive officer of the Sasaram municipal council, went to close down coaching institutes running despite the state government’s order on Saturday to shut all educational institutions in the wake of the rising coronavirus cases.

The injured police personnel in Bihar’s Sasaram town on Monday. Sanjay Choudhary

Thousands of students studying in the coaching centres in Gorakshani locality and adjacent areas in Sasaram came out on the streets as the team tried to enforce the government’s directions. They ran amok and started attacking the administration team and the police personnel accompanying it.

As the ruckus increased, the team walked away and the students started attacking passers-by, vehicles and government property.

Students burnt tyres in Sasaram. Sanjay Choudhary

They burnt tyres, pulled down steel drums and iron frames serving as road dividers and barricades and marched towards the collectorate. Shops and business establishments downed their shutters out of fear.

Many of the students were heard saying that the “coaching centres are being shut down, but the government is holding all the entrance and job-related examinations despite a raging Covid-19 pandemic”. “How will we study and prepare if we cannot attend classes?” one of them asked.

What followed over the next two hours was complete mayhem. The students in the age group of 16 to 25 years hurled brickbats, forcing the police personnel deployed in the area to flee. Sasaram Town police station in-charge Kamakhya Narayan Singh, several other policemen and a few journalists were injured.

The students barged into the collectorate campus and started ransacking various offices. They also set fire to a visitors’ shed.

Police resort to lathicharge to control the situation in Sasaram. Sanjay Choudhary

Heavy police reinforcements, led by Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Ashish Bharti, rushed in and resorted to mild lathicharge to control the situation. Several youths have been either detained or arrested from the spot.

“The executive officer of the municipal council and police personnel had gone to enforce the Covid-19 guidelines. At that time some people, mainly students, started rioting after being instigated by some persons. They indulged in stone pelting, arson and created a law and order situation in the city.

“The situation is under control now. Some people have been arrested and lawful action is being taken against them. An FIR is being registered against them as well as against the instigators,” Bharti said.

Rohtas district magistrate Dharmendra Kumar issued an appeal to the people to adhere to the Covid guidelines.

“Some owners of coaching institutes instigated the students to indulge in unlawful acts. We have got their video footages from different sources. The students are being identified and legal action is being taken against them,” he said.