Mass Student Protest in Ranchi Against Corruption in Public Service Recruitment

On Monday, thousands of frustrated students in Ranchi breached police barricades and marched towards the Jharkhand Assembly to protest against corruption in the state's public service recruitment process. This massive assembly siege is part of a continuous protest that has been ongoing for 17 days, sparked by serious allegations of paper leaks, bribery, and fraud in the examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

 

As the student protesters reached the seventh and final barricade, police responded with water cannons. In defiance, the students began dancing in the water, chanting for more. During the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march, student leader Devendra Nath Mahto expressed his determination, questioning whether they were at the borders of Pakistan, Bangladesh, or China, emphasizing that they were merely students. Reports indicate that the protesting students managed to break through police barricades that had initially stopped them near 'Old Assembly Chowk'. Police and security personnel were deployed along the route, with water cannons and riot control vehicles stationed nearby. Volunteers leading the march urged the protesters to maintain peace.

Despite stringent security measures, the protesters have advanced closer to the Jharkhand Assembly. The assembly's monsoon session is currently in progress. Even with barricades and water cannons deployed to halt their progress, the demonstrators continued to approach the assembly premises. Security forces have set up water cannons to prevent the students from marching towards the assembly.

 

As the march by JPSC-JSSC candidates intensified in Ranchi, one protester climbed onto a police barricade. The students are marching towards the new assembly building, raising concerns over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. Activist Devendra Nath Mahto criticized the Jharkhand government for its handling of the student protests, stating that they are surviving on rice and dry bread and will continue to do so even after the protests conclude. He highlighted that the barbed wire barricades have caused them more distress than their ongoing hunger strike.

 

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