Ranchi: Protest over JPSC exam stay turns tense, police lathi-charge

Hundreds of students protesting the Jharkhand High Court's stay on JPSC exam cancellations clashed with police in Ranchi after an effigy of CM Hemant Soren was seized. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the demonstrators.

Hundreds of students gathered at Gandhi Maidan in Ranchi on Friday to protest the Jharkhand High Court's stay on the cancellation of JPSC examinations and appointments, with the demonstration turning tense after police seized an effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The protest was organised following a call by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum, which had appealed to students to burn effigies of the Chief Minister across all 24 districts of Jharkhand in protest against the High Court's decision. Students gathered at Gandhi Maidan carrying an effigy of Soren as part of the protest.

Tension escalates as police seize effigy

In view of the demonstration, the district administration deployed a large police contingent at the spot. Several senior officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were present, while water cannons and women police personnel were also kept on standby. Tension escalated when the students moved forward with the effigy and police personnel seized it from them.

Scuffles broke out between the protesters and police, following which the police resorted to a lathi-charge and began dispersing the protesters from Gandhi Maidan. Police faced difficulties in controlling the demonstrators due to the large size of the ground, as students repeatedly regrouped at different locations and continued their protest. Several students remained inside Gandhi Maidan and attempted to continue the demonstration even as police personnel chased them away and maintained a heavy presence in the area.

BJP accuses government of conspiracy

Reacting to the Jharkhand High Court's order, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo accused the Hemant Soren-led government of misleading the protesting students. "Everything here is happening just as the state government had scripted. They fooled the protesting students... Chief Minister Hemant Soren's government has tried to cheat the students' movement and hatched a conspiracy to end the movement," Shahdeo told ANI.

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