RANCHI — Thousands of job aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations breached police barricades as they marched towards the state assembly on Monday, prompting security forces to use batons, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, officials and media reports said.
The protesters had marched about 6 km from the old assembly premises towards the new assembly complex in Ranchi, demanding the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL 2024 examination and an independent investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
Police had deployed extensive security around the assembly, including barricades and barbed wire, after authorities imposed restrictions in the area ahead of the protest. The demonstration came as the state legislature was in session.
The confrontation began after sections of the crowd attempted to cross the security barriers, according to police accounts reported by local media. Police used water cannons and tear gas before resorting to baton charges to prevent protesters from advancing towards the assembly.
At least four police personnel were injured in the confrontation, while several protesters were also reported injured, according to police and media reports. The authorities described their response as limited to controlling the crowd after barricades were breached.
The protest is part of a wider campaign by students and job aspirants over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). Protesters have sought greater transparency, cancellation of examinations they allege were compromised and an independent probe.
The state government has said it has accepted about 98% of the protesters’ demands, but student representatives have rejected that assessment. They said only three of 13 examinations they wanted cancelled had been scrapped.
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who had been on a nine-day hunger strike over the recruitment dispute, joined Monday’s march and urged protesters to maintain peace, according to reports.
Police said they would review available CCTV footage to identify people allegedly responsible for disrupting the demonstration, while authorities continued to call for restraint as the dispute over the recruitment examinations remained unresolved.
