PATNA, April 15 -- The state revenue and land reforms department on Tuesday suspended 35 officers of Bihar Revenue Service (BRS), most of them circle officers (CO), for staying away from duty on mass casual leave since March 9 amid an ongoing strike. The orders were issued the same day Nitish Kumar resigned as chief minister, along with his entire cabinet, after nearly two decades in power. A new government headed by Samrat Choudhary is expected to take an oath on Wednesday. The officers, belonging to the Bihar Revenue Service Association (BiRSA) and BiRSA (United), have been pressing for postings as deputy collectors (land reforms) and district land acquisition officers in line with the 2010 government notification and Patna High Court orders. They allege that the state bypasses these rules by shifting key posts to the Bihar Administrative Service cadre, leaving qualified BRS officers sidelined. Undeterred by Tuesday's mass suspension, over 600 officers from across the state gathered at Gai Ghat for "Mahajutaan-3" on BR Ambedkar Jayanti. The event began with a collective reading of the Constitution's preamble. Leaders Anand Kumar, president of BiRSA, and Aditya Shivam Shankar, president of BiRSA (United), addressed the gathering, describing the suspensions as "repressive" and an attempt to silence a justified struggle. In a collective oath, the officers declared their demand was purely service-related and limited to restoring the DCLR post within the revenue cadre. "We are not against anti-corruption drives. We pledge 100 per cent commitment to making Bihar corruption-free and ensuring transparency and accountability from circle level to the secretariat," they resolved. Representatives of the Bihar Supply Service and Rural Development Service unions also extended support. A senior revenue official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspension orders appeared to have been prepared in advance by someone aware of the impending change in government. Yet the joint struggle front made it clear the agitation would continue and could intensify if talks fail. "We remain ready for dialogue but will not compromise on our rights," the leaders said. Earlier phases of the agitation had seen six officers suspended. Reports in the Hindustan Times had highlighted how the strike since March 9 had brought land record work, mutation cases and certificate issuance to a virtual halt across 537 circle offices, hitting ordinary citizens hard....