Protesters pelt stones at the SBI main branch in Gaya on Friday. Picture by Suman

Gaya, May 27: The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) aspirants today went on the rampage after the State Bank of India officials allegedly issued them drafts at a slow pace.

The aspirants resorted to vandalism in and outside the main branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) near Peer Mansoor under the Civil Lines police station here.

They smashed machines and the glasses of all the three Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) installed at the ground floor of the SBI branch. They also pelted stones that damaged the windowpanes up to the second floor of the bank building.

Following the incident, police arrived at the spot and used baton to disperse the aspirants.

The TET is scheduled on July 17. A demand draft of any nationalised bank is required to procure application form for the test. The form will be available between May 25 and July 6. Thus there is a huge rush of aspirants in the banks to get the demand drafts issued.

On Thursday, too, aspirants had smashed the glasses of the counter at SBI and the Punjab National Bank (PNB), Nawada town branches. In Gaya, apart from the SBI main branch, aspirants also pelted stones at the Bank of Baroda branch at Golpatthar.

When the men aspirants were on a rampage on the road outside the banks, more than 200 girls queued up at the counters inside the building. One of the girls Neha Kumari said: “It was a day-long process to get a demand draft issued from the bank. The trouble did not end here. We will have to queue up again for procuring the application form. But the bigger trouble is the chaos that occurred because of the drafts.”

SBI regional manager Anil Kumar Sharma told The Telegraph that while the TET aspirants were on the rampage, the matter was informed to district and the police administration.

The regional manager said that 12 counters have been opened to issue demand drafts to the TET aspirants. Although it was affecting the business of the bank, four employees had been pressed into service to prepare the drafts.

Gaya city superintendent of police Ratnamani Sanjeev said: “Soon after getting information, I rushed to the spot and took the situation under control.

Regional deputy director education (RDDE) Dev Sheel said 1.2 lakh forms would be issued to the aspirants sitting for the TET examination.