Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 11 (ANI): Tens of thousands of JPSC and JSSC aspirants on Monday continued their indefinite protest at the Jaipal Singh Stadium in Ranchi, following a night of alleged police brutality and a heavy lathi charge during their march to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.
The students, who have gathered from all 24 districts of the state, are demanding the cancellation of the JSSC CGL examination and a high-level CBI inquiry into recurring paper leaks.
Speaking to ANI, student leader Ravinder Pasawan stated that the march was peaceful until Monday evening, when the administration suddenly used force to remove students who were sitting outside the Assembly gate.
Detailing the incident, Pasawan said, "Yesterday was our Legislative Assembly march. We were there for a long time. In the end, the police administration removed us using force. There was no positive outcome regarding our demands. My belief was that if tens of thousands of students from all 24 districts of Jharkhand are gathering on the streets, the government should at least give some assurance or outcome. That is why we waited until 5:00 PM. When no result was provided, we decided to sit on the road outside the Assembly gate and protest peacefully until the government addressed us. Even if they had said nothing all night, we would have been here in the morning anyway."
"But suddenly, force was used. Some of our companions were injured. The administration did its job; before that, they were quite cooperative, but in the evening, they lost their cool. Many of our colleagues, including women students, were injured. It was also seen that media personnel were pushed and shoved. We remain firm on our demands. We appeal to the Honourable Chief Minister that we are all students; please accept our demands, as they are all logical. Our indefinite protest will continue until the Jharkhand government accepts them," he added.
Another student leader, Piyush, described the march as "historic," noting that nearly 50,000 aspirants participated.
"Nearly 50,000 people had joined us yesterday. Despite some minor incidents, we completed our march very peacefully with the cooperation of the administration. It was a historic march. Such a large number of people conducted themselves in such a controlled and civilized manner--we have set a standard there.
Force was used after evening; there was a lathi charge. The administration was doing its job, and we were doing ours; we understand the administration's dilemma. Our protest will continue here indefinitely. We students are not supporting any particular party. If someone calls for a 'Bandh' in our support, we welcome it, but we have nothing to do with political parties. They are independent in their decisions. We are just standing in support of our demands; that is our only agenda," Piyush said.
Recounting the harrowing details of the police action, Kundan Kumar Yadav, a student from Palamu, alleged that 1,500 to 2,000 officers surrounded the protesters and attacked them indiscriminately.
"I was part of the protest until the very end. No one was causing any trouble; everyone was just sitting and clapping. Then the police arrived in several vehicles--at least 1,500 to 2,000 officers. They surrounded everyone and started a lathi charge. They didn't spare anyone--boys or girls. I saw male police officers hitting female students repeatedly.
Even as we ran towards the MLA gate, they didn't stop. We jumped into the fields to escape, and the police followed us there. It was muddy because of the rain and crops. We got stuck; my shoes are still there. I saw police officers catching and hitting people up to 20 times. They chased us for about 2 kilometers. I also got hit 2 or 3 times. We have only one demand: cancel the JSSC CGL exam and conduct a CBI inquiry. My name is Kundan Kumar Yadav, and I am from Palamu," Yadav told ANI.
Sikandar Singh, an aspirant from Hazaribagh who was injured in the incident, highlighted the emotional toll on the student community.
"We started the march from Jaipal Munda Ground to the old Assembly and then to the new Assembly. We were protesting peacefully. But as evening fell, the administration grew aggressive. There was a heavy lathi charge. Our only demand is regarding the paper leaks in JSSC and JPSSC. Students in Jharkhand spend 8 to 10 hours studying in libraries with so much hope, yet we haven't received justice. I was also hit by sticks several times. We just want justice regarding the paper leaks," he pleaded.
Jharkhand Police on Monday used lathis and water cannons to control the crowd during the 'Vidhan Sabha gherao' march by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examinations.
The protesting aspirants have been demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities, and reforms in the recruitment process. They have alleged that their demands have not been fully accepted by the state government.
(ANI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
