India Bloc Delegation Meets Jharkhand Chief Secretary, Seeks Action Against Those Who Disrupted Student Protest

The political battle over the ongoing JPSC-JSSC student movement in Jharkhand intensified on Thursday, with the INDIA bloc delegation meeting Chief Secretary at Project Bhavan and seeking action against people accused of creating disorder during the protests.

The delegation submitted a memorandum urging the government to distinguish between students who participated peacefully in the agitation and those who allegedly indulged in violence, vandalism or attempts to disrupt law and order.

Leaders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(ML) were part of the delegation. Those who attended included Vinod Pandey, Rajesh Thakur, Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, Mamta Devi, Rajesh Kachhap, MT Raja, Vikas Munda, Suresh Baitha and Manoj Yadav.

No action against peaceful protesters, says JMM

After the meeting, JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey said the government would not allow action against students who took part in the protest peacefully.

He said the government stood with students who had come forward to raise their demands through democratic means. At the same time, he maintained that people who allegedly used the protest as an opportunity to create disorder or disturb public order should face action.

Pandey made it clear that the INDIA bloc would not support action against genuine protesters, while those found to have participated in unlawful activities should not be given protection merely because they were part of the larger student gathering.

Congress hits back at BJP's 48-hour ultimatum

Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh also criticised the BJP's 48-hour ultimatum to the state government, saying the Congress would not be pressured by such demands.

He said innocent students against whom cases had been registered during the agitation should not face punitive action. However, he alleged that some political figures had entered the student movement and attempted to exploit it to create unrest in the state.

According to Kamlesh, the identities of such individuals should be established and appropriate legal action taken against them.

RJD calls for CCTV-based identification

RJD leader Manoj Yadav said the party would not allow students to be unfairly targeted. Recalling his own association with student movements, he said the concerns being raised by the students needed to be addressed seriously.

At the same time, Yadav called for CCTV footage and other available evidence to be examined to identify individuals who may have indulged in violence or other unlawful activities during the protests.

He said action should be based on evidence and directed at those actually responsible for disrupting law and order, rather than being applied indiscriminately to the entire student community.

BJP had demanded withdrawal of cases

The latest development comes a day after the BJP gave the state government 48 hours to withdraw FIRs registered against students in connection with the agitation.

A BJP delegation had also met the Chief Secretary and demanded that cases filed against students during the protests be withdrawn immediately.

With the INDIA bloc now seeking action against those accused of creating disorder, the government is facing pressure from two different directions. While the BJP is demanding the withdrawal of cases against protesting students, the ruling alliance is calling for action against individuals allegedly responsible for violence or disruption.

The key issue for the administration will therefore be to establish, through evidence and due process, whether those named in the cases were genuinely involved in unlawful activities or were merely part of a largely peaceful student protest.

The government's next course of action is expected to determine how the dispute over the JPSC-JSSC examinations and the subsequent student agitation develops in the coming days.