ABVP stages protest march in Ranchi over alleged exam irregularities

Protesters attempt to stop vehicles carrying detained protesters during the ABVP’s march to the Jharkhand Assembly against the lathicharge on students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.(PICS/PTI)

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Tuesday organised a protest march from the Old Vidhan Sabha to the New Vidhan Sabha in Ranchi, amid continued demonstrations by students and job aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand.

The protest comes against the backdrop of an ongoing agitation by aspirants of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), who have been seeking changes in the recruitment process and action over alleged examination irregularities.

Students seek CBI probe

The protesters have been demanding the cancellation of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities and wider reforms in the state's recruitment system.

The ABVP march added to the growing political pressure on the Hemant Soren government over the issue.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi criticised the state government over its handling of the student protests.

"The government wants to conceal the truth using batons. The students have but one demand: a CBI inquiry. The guilty will be caught, and the innocent will be exonerated," Marandi said.

He alleged that the government was attempting to suppress the students' movement through force and said the agitation would continue to grow across the state.

Referring to the police action during Monday's protest, Marandi said the BJP had called for a statewide bandh in Jharkhand in support of the protesting students.

JMM alleges BJP is inciting students

JMM MP Mahua Maji, however, accused the BJP of provoking the protesting students and said the state government had already accepted most of their demands.

"Talks have been held with the students of Jharkhand. Congress, JMM and RJD ministers were involved in it. Ninety-eight per cent of their demands have been accepted; only two per cent of the demands remain, which is not within the government's purview," Maji said.

She said the JSSC-CGL matter was before the court and that cancelling the examination immediately would potentially affect candidates who had already participated in the process.

Maji added that Chief Minister Hemant Soren had assured students that their concerns would be examined, but more time was required.

Police use force during ‘Vidhan Sabha gherao'march

The latest ABVP protest follows a confrontation between student protesters and police during a march towards the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday.

Police used lathis and water cannons to disperse protesters during the ‘Vidhan Sabha gherao' march by JPSC and JSSC aspirants.

The students had gathered to demand action over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and said their concerns had not been fully addressed by the state government.

The continuing protests have now become a political flashpoint, with the BJP backing the students' demand for a CBI probe and the ruling alliance maintaining that most of the protesters' demands have already been addressed.

(With inputs from ANI)