Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers burnt tyres and set up road blockades across Ranchi on Tuesday as the party enforced a statewide shutdown to protest against police action during a student demonstration outside the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly a day earlier. Protesters blocked major traffic arteries, including Kanke Road and key junctions such as Harmu Chowk and Kishorganj Chowk, resulting in widespread transport disruptions and minor scuffles with law enforcement. On the Ranchi-Patna highway in Ramgarh district, hundreds of party supporters staged a three-hour sit-in, causing extensive vehicle queues before police intervened and detained agitators.
This shutdown for 16 hours has been called for by the BJP leadership of the state between 8:00 AM and midnight. This has been done due to the use of water cannons, tear gas shells, and batons by the police against the students who were marching on Monday. According to Aditya Sahu, BJP state president, the police have acted in an aggressive manner and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government has tried to subdue the youth through force, rather than resolving examination irregularities. Meanwhile, police detained several Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members after they sat on the road and chanted slogans during a planned march from the old Assembly grounds to the new legislative complex.
In spite of the support being lent to the students by members of the opposition, the central student movement ensured that it did not have any political affiliation whatsoever. Student leader Piyush emphasised that although they were welcoming of help to advance their cause, the movement would remain totally non-political and concentrated on obtaining recruitment reforms only. The student leadership core met during noon time to plan their next course of action, emphasising that any further discussions should be held with Chief Minister Hemant Soren only.
The development comes after weeks of protests against charges of leaking of papers and irregularities in the examination conducted by the JPSC and JSSC. On Monday, thousands of job aspirants marched on the legislative complex, forcing their way past three security barriers before being halted at a fourth gate. The demonstration featured theatrical forms of protest, including individuals dressed in costume to highlight their plight, alongside clashes where 14 police personnel and several students sustained injuries. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, whose health deteriorated during a nine-day hunger strike, was hospitalised following the clashes; state health officials subsequently confirmed his condition had stabilised.
Also read: Soren appeals for calm, dialogue after lathi charge on students
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