Police action in Ranchi, tension prevails in Giridih and Hazaribagh
Surendra Soren
Ranchi
The agitation over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations intensified on Saturday, with police registering a number of cases against student leaders in Hazaribag, Ranchi and Giridih.
In Ranchi, the Kotwali police have registered three separate FIRs against members of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch following Friday’s confrontation between protesting students and police at Albert Ekka Chowk. Fourteen people have been named as accused, while several others have been booked unidentified.
Among those named are student leaders Kunal Pratap, Piyush Kumar, Ravindra Paswan and Chandi Tiwari. Police have accused them of obstructing government officials in the discharge of their duties and allegedly confronting police personnel during the protest.
The cases were registered on complaints filed by Ankita Verma, Shahbaz and a magistrate deployed for security duty. According to police, the incident occurred when students under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum attempted to burn an effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren near Albert Ekka Chowk. A heated argument followed, leading to pushing and shoving between the protesters and police.
Police action continued on Saturday, when a student, identified as Ameesha Prasad, was brought from her residence to the Kotwali Women’s Police Station and kept there, said sources.
The development prompted senior BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, BJP MLA CP Singh, Roshni Khalkho, Ranchi Deputy Mayor Neeraj Kumar and BJP Mahanagar president Varun Sahu, to reach the women’s police station. They remained there for several hours.
Meanwhile, political tensions escalated in Giridih over the recent clash involving students. Led by BJP district president Ranjit Rai, hundreds of party workers gathered at Jhanda Maidan on Saturday and insisted on burning an effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Police had deployed a large contingent in the area to prevent any untoward incident.
As BJP workers attempted to proceed with the programme, police allegedly seized the effigy, triggering a heated exchange and pushing and shoving between the two sides. The protesters refused to withdraw, prompting further deployment of security personnel from Jhanda Maidan to Tower Chowk. Police later detained several BJP workers.
In Hazaribagh, police registered an FIR against more than 700 people following Friday’s violence at Matwari Maidan. The case names 200 people, while approximately 500 others have been booked unidentified.
Korrah police station in-charge Nemdhari Rajak said police were examining CCTV footage, photographs and other visual evidence to identify those involved. Officials are also using intelligence inputs, local sources and technology-assisted identification to establish the identities of the protesters involved.
The trouble erupted during an effigy-burning programme of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The situation reportedly escalated after JMM workers, students and police personnel came face-to-face. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to bring the situation under control and alleged that security personnel were also subjected to stone-pelting.
