BJP calls Jharkhand Bandh to protest police action on students; party workers take to streets

The BJP on Tuesday called for a statewide bandh in Jharkhand to protest the alleged use of force by police against students during the ongoing agitation over irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations.

BJP workers took to the streets in several parts of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Palamu, Giridih and Chatra districts, blocking roads at multiple locations. At Harmu Chowk in Ranchi, protesters blocked traffic by burning tyres and raised slogans against the state government, condemning the police action against the students.

Police personnel were deployed at major intersections, while the administration stepped up monitoring to prevent any untoward incident and maintain law and order during the shutdown.

The bandh also affected normal activity in Palamu, where BJP workers staged protests and blocked roads at Chhahmuhan and Redma Chowk in Daltonganj. BJP Palamu district president Amit Tiwari accused the state government of putting the future of young job aspirants at risk.

In Simdega, BJP workers blocked National Highway-143 at several points, including Biru, disrupting vehicular movement. Similar road blockades were reported from Dhanwar in Giridih district and Pratappur in Chatra district.

BJP Mahanagar President Varun Sahu criticised the police response to Monday's student protest, alleging that the administration used lathicharge, tear gas and other force against the demonstrators.

The bandh follows Monday's confrontation between thousands of job aspirants and police near the Jharkhand Assembly. The protesters were demanding cancellation of recruitment examinations allegedly affected by irregularities and an independent investigation into the matter.

The students, carrying the national flag and placards, had marched towards the Assembly despite heavy security arrangements. Police used water cannons, tear gas and lathicharge after protesters crossed several barricades.

The march began at around 10:30 a.m. from outside the old Assembly building and proceeded towards the new Assembly complex. Tensions escalated near the final barricade close to Jagannathpur Temple when protesters attempted to move forward.

While some protesters alleged that several participants, including women, were injured in the police action, Ranchi City SP Paras Rana said four police personnel were injured after stones were allegedly thrown by demonstrators.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren subsequently appealed to the protesting JPSC-JSSC aspirants to maintain peace and assured them that their concerns would be addressed with seriousness and sensitivity.

Soren said students had every right to raise their concerns in a democracy and that the government had a responsibility to listen to them. He also thanked the police and administration for handling the situation with restraint.

The Chief Minister said senior ministers were continuing discussions with the protesters and assured that steps would be taken to make the recruitment examination system more transparent, technology-driven, secure and accountable.

He also accused some Opposition leaders of attempting to politicise the student agitation and urged the protesters not to be influenced by political narratives.

Meanwhile, student activist Devendra Nath Mahto, who had been on a hunger strike for nine days, was hospitalised after his health deteriorated. He was taken from the protest site to a hospital in Ranchi on a stretcher for medical treatment.

The statewide bandh has added another layer to the ongoing confrontation between the government and protesting students, with both sides facing mounting pressure to resolve the dispute over the recruitment examination process.