Students Break barricades, Police Deployed Water Canons Amid Students March Towards Jharkhand Assembly

Police deployed water cannons at protesters on Monday after students broke barricades during the protest. The march was followed by thousands of students demanding transparency in recruitment exams in the state Assembly building in Jharkhand’s capital, Ranchi.

The students who have been demonstrating for more than two weeks now, have arrived in Ranchi from various districts by train, bus, and other means of transport in large numbers. They are asking for changes in the recruitment exams of Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and also demanding the CBI probe against any irregularities and leaks in the recruitment exams.

Protesters then headed towards the Assembly, where they smashed through barricades set up by the administration. The police then disperse the crowd with water cannons. Despite the water being sprayed, some protesters were seen dancing in the streets.

Devendra Mahto who is on indefinite hunger strike called upon the protesters to stay true to their cause and not to clash with the police in their way to reach Assembly. He asked the protestors to reach assembly in a disciplined manner.

To avoid any law and order issue, the administration had to muster extra security personnel and put up barricades at important junctions and other hot spots in Ranchi. Police also were patrolling buses and private vehicles coming into the state capital routes. During the protest several schools in Ranchi were shut down.

The recent protest took place after several rounds of talks between the protesting groups and a government-appointed committee occured. The sixth round of talks, on Sunday, proved futile and no settlement was reached with students, who are still demanding an investigation into alleged irregularities by the CBI.

The state government has maintained that it has accepted the demands of the students around 98 per cent and has appealed to the students to drop agitation. But demonstrators said the government had agreed to cancel just three of the 13 examinations that protesters wanted cancelled.

The controversy of recruitment examination has also resulted in changes in JPSC. Three commission members quit after a CID probe into alleged paper leaks and irregularities. JPSC chairman L Khiangte had previously resigned on 22nd July.

BJP leaders meanwhile were holding another protest outside the Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence on the issue in the meanwhile.

The students’ agitation has been going on for 17 days and six of them are still on the hunger strike demanding action on allegations of irregularities in recruitment tests.