From ‘Khan Sir’ to Coaching Mogul: How Faisal Khan’s Rise Sparked Bihar’s Biggest Education Rivalry

“Bombs exploded one after another inside our coaching institute. At times, it felt as though we were standing on a battlefield rather than inside a classroom,” educator and YouTuber Faisal Khan, popularly known as ‘Khan Sir’, recalled in a video recorded several years ago.

The incident he referred to dates back to 2019, when crude bombs were allegedly thrown into a classroom at his coaching centre in Patna.

While the circumstances behind the attack remain unclear, the episode became a defining moment in Khan’s journey.

Rather than stepping away from teaching, he transformed the incident into part of his public narrative — that of an outsider who challenged established interests and carved a place for himself in Bihar’s fiercely competitive coaching industry.

In the same video, Khan recounted how nearby shops quickly shut their shutters, and people fled after the explosions.

Yet, according to him, it was his students who convinced him not to abandon his mission.

Their determination to continue studying despite the violence reinforced his resolve to carry on.

Nearly seven years later, Khan once again finds himself at the centre of controversy.

A bitter dispute between his coaching network, Khan Global Studies (KGS), and rival institution Gyan Bindu GS Academy, run by educator Raushan Anand, escalated dramatically on June 2 when violence erupted outside Khan’s institute in Patna.

The confrontation led to police cases being filed by both sides and has become one of Bihar’s most closely watched coaching-sector disputes.

To many students, Khan remains the teacher who challenged the dominance of expensive coaching institutes and made competitive exam preparation more accessible.

His critics, however, argue that he has evolved into one of the most influential figures in the very system he once opposed.

The Journey of ‘Khan Sir’

Long before becoming one of India’s most recognised online educators, Khan was one among countless young aspirants navigating Bihar’s highly competitive examination ecosystem.

Through interviews and public appearances, he has often spoken about a childhood marked by financial hardship, limited resources and interrupted ambitions.

Khan has described growing up in a joint family in Deoria, a district in eastern Uttar Pradesh bordering Bihar.

He frequently recalls the economic challenges his family faced, including living in a cramped home and sharing necessities with siblings while his father travelled for work and his mother managed the household.

In several interviews, he has narrated stories of scarcity from his school days, explaining how even simple items such as pencils had to be divided among family members.

These experiences, he says, shaped his determination to pursue education despite difficult circumstances.

During the mid-2010s, Khan moved to Patna in search of better opportunities. He has spoken about preparing for a career in the armed forces and successfully clearing the written examination for the National Defence Academy.

However, he claims that a minor physical condition prevented him from advancing beyond the medical stage.

Friends and acquaintances from that period recall that Khan spent years attending coaching classes while simultaneously teaching part-time.

He studied subjects such as English, Mathematics and Reasoning for competitive examinations while searching for a stable career path.

Eventually, when his own examination ambitions did not materialise as expected, he shifted his focus toward teaching students preparing for state-level and clerical recruitment examinations.

According to people familiar with his early career, Khan’s first teaching assignments involved conducting test-series discussions for modest fees.

Armed with a government-issued laptop, he often used maps and visual aids to explain complex topics, gradually developing the teaching style that would later become his trademark.

The nickname “Khan Sir” also emerged during this period. Khan has recounted that a coaching institute manager who could not recall his first name simply listed his classes under “Khan Sir,” and the title eventually became his public identity.

Building an Independent Coaching Brand

Around 2016–17, Khan reportedly entered into a business partnership with fellow educator Nikhil Kumar to establish a coaching institute in Patna’s Musallahpur Haat area.

However, the partnership later deteriorated amid disagreements over management and finances.

Nikhil Kumar has alleged that Khan eventually took control of the premises and launched his own independent venture. Khan, on public platforms, has maintained that financial disputes with former partners compelled him to create a separate brand.

In 2019, Khan formally established Khan Global Studies in Musallahpur Haat, one of Bihar’s most prominent coaching hubs.

What immediately distinguished KGS from many competitors was its affordability.

Former students and associates recall courses being offered at exceptionally low prices, making exam preparation accessible to students from economically weaker backgrounds.

As his map-reading sessions, current affairs lectures and general studies classes gained popularity, Khan gradually built a loyal student base.

His engaging teaching style combined practical examples, humour and local dialects, helping him connect with students across social backgrounds.

COVID-19 and the Rise of a National Brand

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically transformed Bihar’s coaching industry and propelled Khan to national prominence.

For decades, ambitious students from Bihar often travelled to cities such as Kota, Delhi and Prayagraj for coaching.

However, the shift to online learning during the pandemic changed the landscape entirely.

Educators who successfully adapted to digital platforms found themselves reaching audiences far beyond their local classrooms.

Khan emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of this transformation.

His YouTube lectures attracted millions of viewers due to their accessible style, real-world examples and conversational delivery.

Students from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and several other states began following his content in large numbers.

Following the pandemic, Khan expanded aggressively. Sources within the coaching sector say he acquired multiple properties vacated by coaching centres that struggled to survive the economic disruption caused by COVID-19.

From a few hundred students before the pandemic, KGS grew into a vast educational enterprise.

Its flagship centre at the Kisan Cold Storage complex now reportedly hosts thousands of students at any given time.

Online, Khan’s influence is even larger. His primary YouTube channel boasts more than 25 million subscribers, while several associated channels have crossed the five-million-subscriber mark.

Today, KGS operates from multiple locations, including Patna, Delhi, Noida, Prayagraj and Dehradun, transforming Khan from a local educator into a nationwide coaching entrepreneur.

Beyond Coaching: Expanding Influence

In recent years, Khan has diversified beyond education. He has launched initiatives including a low-cost healthcare facility, a blood centre, student libraries, charitable programmes and social welfare projects.

Supporters view these ventures as evidence of his commitment to social causes and community welfare.

Critics, however, argue that they also serve to strengthen his personal brand and public image.

While KGS continues to offer relatively affordable online courses, fees for premium programmes aimed at examinations such as UPSC, NEET and JEE have increased significantly as the organisation has expanded.

Despite his popularity, controversies have followed Khan throughout his rise. In 2022, he was among several coaching operators named in a case linked to protests by railway recruitment aspirants.

More recently, he became embroiled in a defamation dispute involving journalist Anjana Om Kashyap.

The Emergence of a Rival

Among Khan’s strongest competitors is Raushan Anand, founder of Gyan Bindu GS Academy, who is currently in judicial custody in connection with the June 2 violence.

Like Khan, Anand presents himself as a self-made educator who overcame financial hardship to build a successful coaching business.

His personal story resonates with many students from rural Bihar who view education as a pathway to social and economic advancement.

Anand has spoken publicly about growing up in Saharsa district, studying in government schools and later moving to Kota and Patna while preparing for competitive examinations.

After abandoning engineering studies, he reportedly spent several years preparing for civil service examinations before transitioning to full-time teaching and eventually launching his own coaching institute.

Although their backgrounds share similarities, Khan and Anand have increasingly become rivals due to their competition for the same student demographic and examination categories.

While Khan dominates the online space, Anand has developed a strong reputation in offline classroom coaching, particularly for Bihar Police recruitment examinations.

Musallahpur Haat: The Battleground of Bihar’s Coaching Industry

At the heart of this rivalry lies Musallahpur Haat, Patna’s sprawling coaching district that has long served as an educational hub for students from across eastern India.

Often compared to Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar and Prayagraj’s coaching corridors, Musallahpur is home to hundreds of coaching centres, hostels, libraries and student-focused businesses.

Competition here is relentless. Coaching institutes compete not only through classroom teaching but also through YouTube channels, Telegram groups, scholarship programmes, social media campaigns and aggressive marketing strategies.

Success stories become advertising tools, toppers become brand ambassadors and examination results are transformed into promotional campaigns.

Personal branding has become equally important. Public celebrations, student events, scholarship distributions and social initiatives frequently serve as extensions of institutional marketing efforts.

In such a highly competitive environment, professional rivalry can quickly become personal.

The June 2 Clash and the Fallout

The latest confrontation between Khan Global Studies and Gyan Bindu Academy reflects the growing intensity of competition within Bihar’s coaching sector.

Tensions reportedly escalated after both institutions claimed credit for the success of candidates in the Bihar Police Constable recruitment examination.

According to police, a group allegedly linked to Gyan Bindu vandalised property associated with KGS and assaulted security personnel on June 2, leaving one guard injured.

However, competing narratives soon emerged. Reports suggested that disputes over promotional posters and student success claims had been simmering for days before the violence erupted.

Soon after the incident, Khan alleged that rival coaching interests were behind the attack and claimed that multiple rounds of gunfire had been fired outside his institute.

Initially, police said they found no evidence of firing. However, subsequent video footage reportedly showed armed individuals discharging weapons into the air.

The investigation took another dramatic turn when two security guards associated with KGS allegedly told police that they had fired on instructions from their employer.

As a result, a second FIR was registered against Khan, the guards and others under provisions related to attempted murder and the Arms Act.

While the guards have been arrested, Khan has denied all allegations through his legal team. He has also secured interim protection from arrest from a Patna court.

A decade ago, Khan was celebrated as a disruptive force who challenged traditional coaching institutions and made education more affordable.

Today, as Bihar’s coaching industry grows larger and more competitive, he stands at the centre of a battle that reflects the high stakes, immense influence and intense rivalries shaping the state’s educational landscape.