Students protesting against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations have announced plans to intensify their agitation, including burning effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at all 24 district headquarters on Sunday.
Hundreds of students have been protesting in Ranchi for more than three weeks, demanding, among other things, the cancellation of the JSSC CGL and JPSC 11th to 13th examinations and a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities.
The protesters have accused the ruling JMM and Congress of politicising their concerns and announced plans to gherao Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence on August 20, demanding his resignation.
They have also urged Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his support for the JMM-led coalition if the "chief minister is not listening" to him.
“We will gherao the chief minister’s residence on August 20. We seek his resignation as both the JMM and Congress are playing politics with us. We also demand that Rahul Gandhi withdraw support from the JMM-led coalition if the CM is not listening to him,” said Ravindra Paswan, a leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.
Paswan also said protesters would burn effigies of both Soren and Gandhi across all 24 districts. He referred to an audio call in which Gandhi had reportedly told the students, “We are with you,” and said the Congress leader should stand by them if he supported their cause.
The protesters took out a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Ranchi on Saturday to mark the country’s 80th Independence Day and reiterate their demand for greater transparency and reforms in the recruitment examination system.
Another student leader, Piyush Kumar, said at a press conference that the agitation would now move beyond the “Gandhian way” of protest. He announced that effigy-burning demonstrations would be held at district headquarters across the state, including Ranchi, from Sunday.
The protesters have appealed to students across Jharkhand to assemble in Ranchi for the proposed August 20 gherao of the chief minister’s residence. They said the agitation would continue until their demands are addressed.
Meanwhile, JLKM leader Devendra Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for 14 days, alleged that police prevented him from leaving Sadar Hospital to participate in the ‘Tiranga Yatra’. Videos purportedly showing Mahto scuffling with security personnel while attempting to leave the hospital have circulated widely on social media.
