Jharkhand students to continue protest

Ranchi: Student protesters continued their agitation in Ranchi on Wednesday, saying that the government has not taken any positive steps or held talks with them. A student protester said that Wednesday marks the 19th day of their protest and that the core committee will meet to decide the future course of action. He further said that on the 18th day of the protest, a large number of administrative officials reached the protest site, raising fears that the students might be removed from the area. “A meeting of the core committee will determine the future course of action for the movement. On the eighteenth day, the entire administrative machinery arrived in full force. There was a suspicion that they intended to clear the students out of this area, but the students stood united… For now, our movement will continue,” he further said. 

Meanwhile, Ranchi Superintendent of Police (SP) Paras Rana said that the officials had not come to the protest site to detain anyone. On Monday, a large number of students gathered near the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha as part of a march organised by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch. The protesters formed a human chain and marched towards the Assembly, seeking action on their demands.

The protests intensified after Monday’s “Vidhan Sabha gherao” march, during which police used water cannons and lathis to control the crowd as the protesters moved towards the Assembly. The students have been protesting over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).