Ranchi: Thousands of protesting students broke through security barricades and surged toward the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday, marking a decisive escalation in the 17-day agitation over alleged paper leaks in the state’s recruitment examinations.
Led by multiple agitating student groups, the demonstrators forced their way past police cordons near the Old Assembly complex and pressed on toward the New Assembly building in a coordinated “Vidhan Sabha gherao” over irregularities in JPSC and JSSC tests.
From early morning, students from across Jharkhand’s districts poured into the capital by trains, buses and private vehicles, swelling the ranks of the demonstration.
A participant in the march said the students would move together in an orderly fashion and ensure their protest did not inconvenience the public, as reported by India Today.
Security Tightened
Alerted to the possibility of law-and-order trouble, the administration had cordoned off key intersections and sensitive locations, with heavy police presence across Ranchi and most schools kept closed. In an effort to limit the inflow of protesters, police also intensified checks on buses and private vehicles at district borders and along major highways.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders staged a separate protest outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence, echoing the demand for a CBI inquiry into the exam irregularities, as reported by NDTV.
The flashpoint of the stir remains the suspected paper leaks and malpractice in recruitment tests conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Monday’s march comes after several rounds of dialogue between agitating groups and a government-appointed panel failed to persuade students to end their protest, now in its 17th day.
The sixth round of talks, held on Sunday, ended without a breakthrough as students insisted on a CBI probe. While the state government claimed it had accepted “98 per cent” of their demands and appealed for the agitation to be withdrawn, protesters countered that only three of the 13 tests they wanted scrapped had been agreed to.
JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan reiterated that the protesters were firm on their demand for a CBI probe. Six agitators continue to remain on hunger strike as part of the movement.
Resignations Rock JPSC
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has told the protesting students that anyone found guilty of irregularities in recruitment tests would be dealt with strictly.
The state also witnessed a major upheaval in the JPSC on Sunday, with three of its members resigning after being summoned by the CID over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in recruitment exams.
JPSC chairperson L Khiangte had already resigned on July 22.