New Delhi/Ranchi: Protests over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations intensified after students and police clashed near the state Assembly, with security personnel resorting to a lathi-charge. The BJP has called for a statewide bandh in Jharkhand on August 11, protesting the police action.
JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who had been on a hunger strike for the past nine days against the alleged recruitment irregularities, was admitted to hospital after his health deteriorated.
The students’ protest subsequently turned confrontational, prompting police to use force to disperse the demonstrators. The police action has drawn sharp political reactions, with the BJP announcing the state-wide bandh.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi condemned the alleged use of force against protesting students in Jharkhand, saying students have the right to stage peaceful demonstrations and that dialogue is the only way to resolve such issues.
In a post on Instagram, Gandhi urged the Jharkhand government to listen to the students and address their grievances without delay.
Reacting specifically to the lathi-charge during the protest by JPSC-JSSC candidates in Ranchi, Gandhi said the message to students in Jharkhand was clear: any form of violence against students protesting peacefully must be condemned.
He said the Congress would oppose any violent action against peaceful protesters, regardless of where such incidents occur, and stressed that as long as a protest remains peaceful, the use of force against demonstrators cannot be justified.
