Police have registered a case against around 600 people following a protest march towards the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi on Thursday, as students continued their agitation over alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment examinations for the 20th consecutive day.
Around 100 protesters have been named in the FIR, while another 500 unidentified students and other participants have also been booked.
The students, who have been protesting at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, have said they will continue their agitation until their demands are addressed.
The protesters are demanding greater transparency in the state’s recruitment examinations and have called for an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities.
Their key demands include:
- Greater transparency in recruitment examinations
- Scrapping of certain examinations
- An independent probe by the CBI or a committee of retired judges from outside Jharkhand
- Changes to the existing recruitment examination system
The latest FIR comes days after a confrontation between protesters and security forces on Monday, when students attempting to march towards the Assembly were stopped. Police used batons, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
Also read: Jharkhand students' protest enters 19th day
The police action triggered a political row, with the BJP announcing a statewide shutdown in protest.
The dispute has also widened beyond the examination issue. BJP leaders have demanded a CBI probe, while former chief minister Raghubar Das has threatened to begin a hunger strike if the investigation is not ordered within seven days.
The ABVP has announced demonstrations at more than 1,200 universities in support of the protesting students.
Questions have also been raised over the state government's special investigation team examining the alleged irregularities, with critics questioning its credibility after changes were made to its composition.
Six rounds of talks between government officials and student representatives have so far failed to produce an agreement.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has maintained that his government is prepared to overhaul the recruitment examination system. He has also assured the protesters that the 14th JPSC examination will be scrapped, while accusing the BJP of trying to gain political mileage from the agitation.
Meanwhile, security around the Chief Minister's residence has been tightened with barricades and razor wire. The protesters have clarified that they have no current plan to surround the residence and called reports suggesting otherwise misleading.
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