JMM workers beat students in Giridih; lathi charge on students in Hazaribag, students-police clash in Ranchi during effigy burning of CM
Pranav Pratyush/Surendra Soren
Ranchi
The effigy burning event organised by the student front JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch turned ugly at several district headquarters of the State on Friday evening as there were reports of violent clashes from Giridih, Hazaribag, Garhwa and Ranchi.
At Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi the effigy-burning programme against the state government, turned into a confrontation between protesters and alleged supporters of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
According to the Reforms Forum, JMM workers reached the protest site and allegedly snatched the effigy from the students, following which members of both sides came face-to-face. Police and administrative officials present at the spot intervened to bring the situation under control.
Sources said that a person present at the site hit a girl student for staging the protest. This resulted in a violent clash between the two groups.
Police said that the commotion began because the students’ group changed it’s approved route to Albert Ekka Square and tried to disturb peace. One person has been detained after the disturbance, they said.
Similar incidents were reported from other districts. In Giridih, the forum referring to a viral video alleged that JMM workers chased and assaulted students, who were participating in the effigy-burning protest and allegedly snatched the effigy from the protesters.
In Hazaribagh, protesters alleged showing videos that police used force and resorted to a mild lathi-charge while JMM workers opposed their demonstration. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan alleged that JMM workers disrupted the protest in Ranchi and snatched the effigy. He said the programme had been organised to register the students’ protest against the state government following the recent High Court order concerning the JSSC-CGL recruitment controversy.
The forum maintained that students were holding a peaceful demonstration and alleged that the intervention of JMM workers created tension at the site. It also questioned the role of the administration in handling the situation.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Forum had announced effigy-burning programmes at district headquarters across Jharkhand as part of its protest against the government’s handling of recruitment examination irregularities.
Student leader Kunal Pratap alleged that the government had “betrayed” the students. He claimed that the recent developments in the High Court amounted to a “trap” and alleged that the Advocate General had not appeared during the hearing, while a junior government counsel represented the state.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi strongly reacted to the alleged clash between students and JMM workers. He accused supporters of the government of using force against protesting students and warned that the situation could lead to a wider confrontation.
Marandi urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to restrain what he described as “government goons” and called for an end to the alleged use of force against students. He also reiterated his demand for a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations.
