RANCHI: JPSC-JSSC aspirants remained defiant after police resorted to a lathi charge for the third time on Monday evening to disperse students protesting outside the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi. The demonstrators vowed to continue their widespread agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and firmly demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
The latest police action unfolded hours after a fresh clash between student protesters and police during the ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march. Authorities deployed tear gas shells, water cannons, and batons as a large number of aspirants attempted to breach barricades and move toward the Assembly complex.
The protest was organized by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, representing thousands of students opposing the recent examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Clashes, Injuries, and Allegations of Brutality
Demonstrators expressed outrage over the heavy-handed police response, particularly alleging that female protesters were targeted.
“There are no women in their administration. They have been brutally beating people up. While the Jharkhand government offers the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’, these people go around assaulting mothers and sisters,” one protester alleged, adding that male officers rained lathi blows on female students.
Several demonstrators reported injuries sustained during stampedes triggered by the police action. The protesters, who were seen holding the national Tricolour, insisted that their march was constitutional and peaceful.
Ranchi City Superintendent of Police Paras Rana, however, stated that while the majority of students were peaceful, a small section became aggressive and damaged property. “If 700-1,000 students in the crowd are not listening to anyone, pushing through the barricading and crushing three police personnel, still police personnel showed restraint. They pelted stones at the police force,” Rana said, appealing for calm.
Hunger Strike and the Student Demands
The immediate demands of the protesting aspirants include the complete cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities, and comprehensive reforms in the state’s recruitment process.
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato, whose hunger strike entered its ninth day despite his deteriorating health, stated that the movement represented the concerns of millions of young people.
“Exams are conducted with candidates sitting in places like Nepal. What faith can one have in the investigation? My body is failing me, but even if I were to die, it wouldn’t seem to matter,” Mahato said, criticizing the state’s deployment of barbed wire and tear gas.
Student leader Ravindra Paswan appealed to volunteers to identify any anti-social elements trying to disrupt the movement and reiterated that the students would see the protest through to the end constitutionally.
Political Backlash and Detentions
The police crackdown drew immediate and sharp criticism from opposition parties. Union Minister Sanjay Seth slammed the Hemant Soren-led government, questioning the deployment of blade-wired fences against students.
“You are resorting to lathi charge on your own children… You are running away from a CBI investigation, running away from an ED investigation,” Seth remarked.
BJP MPs Sanjay Jaiswal, Mayank Nayak, and Dinesh Sharma strongly condemned the state government, demanding immediate engagement with the students. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi and several other BJP leaders were detained by state police amid protests outside the Chief Minister’s residence.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also condemned the use of water cannons and announced that it would lead a fresh ‘Gherao’ of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on August 11 to protest the government’s “anti-student attitude.”
Government Defends Its Actions
Responding to the outrage, Jharkhand Minister Deepika Pandey Singh stated that the government has been engaging with the protesters for days and has accepted nearly every point within its capacity.
She emphasized that the demand to cancel the CGL examination involves judicial directives and legal considerations that the state government must respect. Singh added that the government has kept the investigation open-ended, is ready for judicial monitoring, and has even invited the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate allegations of financial misappropriation.
The ongoing controversy has already seen the resignation of three serving JPSC members. Additionally, the ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) to examine the alleged money trail and financial transactions connected to the empanelment of the outsourcing agency tasked with conducting the examinations.
