The BJP on Tuesday called a state-wide bandh in Jharkhand to protest the alleged use of force against students demonstrating over irregularities in recruitment examinations, as the agitation entered its 18th day.
The bandh, which began at 8 am and will continue until midnight, has been called to protest the police action against demonstrators during their march to the state Assembly on Monday.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also strongly condemned the alleged police action against the students and announced that it would take out a march to the Assembly during the day. The procession will begin from the old Vidhan Sabha and proceed towards the new Assembly premises.
The agitation escalated on Monday when police used water cannons and lathi-charged protesters to prevent them from marching towards the Assembly.
Several protesters claimed they were injured during the clashes, while Ranchi police said 14 personnel sustained injuries.
Police used water cannons near Jagannathpur Temple and fired tear gas shells as the protesters moved towards the Assembly.
The students and job aspirants have been agitating since July 25, demanding greater transparency in recruitment examinations, reforms in the functioning of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and JSSC, cancellation of several examinations and an independent investigation by the CBI or a panel of retired High Court judges from outside the state.
Six demonstrators have also been observing an indefinite hunger strike in support of their demands, with two of them subsequently hospitalised.
The sixth round of talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Manch failed to yield a breakthrough on Sunday, with both sides accusing the other of not being serious about resolving the issue.
The government panel claimed it was unfortunate that the students had refused to call off their agitation despite the authorities conceding to “98 per cent of their demands”. The protesters, however, rejected the claim.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand CID arrested former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, a senior state probe agency official said. With his arrest, the number of people arrested by the state agency in the case has risen to 20.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also launched a money-laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the conduct of multiple recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, particularly the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination, officials said.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren had made an appeal to the protesting students to resolve their grievances through “dialogue and trust”, while accusing the Opposition of trying to mislead the agitators for political gains.
(With inputs from agencies)
