Ranchi: A protest by students in Ranchi turned tense on Friday after JMM workers allegedly tried to snatch the effigies they were carrying, prompting the demonstrators to chase the fleeing workers and recover them.
Members of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch were marching towards Albert Ekka Chowk, where they planned to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The students were protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and accusing the Jharkhand government of failing to honour assurances that had led them to withdraw an earlier agitation.
The protesters said the government had misled them after the Jharkhand High Court stayed notifications cancelling appointments linked to several recruitment examinations.
According to the students, the march was proceeding peacefully when a group of JMM workers confronted them. The protesters alleged that the workers misbehaved with female participants, leading to a scuffle.
“The cowards, agents of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, attacked the girls participating in the march and had a scuffle with them,” JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said.
The students claimed that the JMM workers attempted to take away the effigies. The protesters chased the workers and managed to recover them, they said.
The agitators alleged that ruling party workers were trying to divert attention from their demands and prevent them from holding a peaceful demonstration.
“They cannot stop us from holding peaceful and democratic protests,” Paswan said.
Police Cite Route Violation
Police disputed the protesters’ version and attributed the disturbance to an alleged deviation from the approved route.
Lalpur police station officer-in-charge Rupesh Kumar Singh said the students had been instructed to follow a designated route for the march and effigy burning. Instead, he said, they moved towards the Jharkhand Public Service Commission office, bringing traffic to a halt.
“The students changed the route defined for the march and effigy burning. They went to the JPSC office and brought traffic to a halt there. The agitators did not listen to our repeated pleas to adhere to the designated route,” Singh said.
A police official said the confrontation could have been avoided if the students had followed the allocated route.
The situation briefly became chaotic at Albert Ekka Chowk as members of the two groups came face-to-face. Police and administrative officials intervened to prevent the confrontation from escalating, following which the march resumed.
Officials confirmed that JMM workers were present when the confrontation took place but did not provide details of the protesters’ allegations of assault.
Similar incidents were reported in Hazaribag and Giridih, where JMM workers allegedly confronted students attempting to burn effigies of the chief minister.
High Court Orders Fuel Protest
The agitation followed the Jharkhand High Court’s intervention in cases concerning the cancellation of recruitment examinations and appointments.
On Thursday, the court stayed the state government’s notification cancelling the 11th and 13th JPSC Civil Services examinations. It also stayed the cancellation of appointments to the posts of food safety officers.
On Friday, the court passed similar orders concerning the cancellation of appointments of Child Development Project Officers and candidates recruited through the JSSC-CGL examination.
Student leaders accused the state government of failing to effectively defend its decisions before the High Court. They alleged that the administration had persuaded them to call off their earlier agitation by giving assurances that had not resulted in any concrete action.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch had suspended its previous protest after receiving commitments from the government. Its members now claim that the promises have not produced any visible progress.
“The way the state government has deceived the students, we will give it a befitting reply. We now understand the intention behind misleading us into ending our protest,” Paswan said.
“We will fight with full force, full conviction and full determination. We will not back down,” the Manch said.
Meanwhile, JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto announced that his organisation would launch a “Recruitment System Reforms Yatra” from August 24. He accused the state government of failing to strongly defend cases related to the cancellation of recruitment examinations before the High Court.
Mahto warned that protesters could lay siege to the chief minister’s residence if the government failed to effectively present its case at the next hearing on September 15. He also announced possible road blockades and an economic blockade across Jharkhand.
He said the agitation would be expanded in phases if the government failed to take concrete steps to address the students’ grievances.
Mahto said the protesters would not compromise on their demands and would seek a guarantee that future recruitment examinations would be conducted fairly, transparently and without irregularities.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch had announced on Thursday that effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren would be burnt across all 24 districts of Jharkhand on Friday.
