Ranchi, Aug 13: Security was stepped up around the Jharkhand Chief Minister’s residence here on Thursday amid intelligence inputs that students protesting alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations could stage a gherao of the residence on August 20, officials said.
Although the protesters have not formally announced the proposed programme, the Ranchi district administration has intensified security arrangements around the CM’s residence on Kanke Road and adjoining areas as a precautionary measure.
More than 100 additional armed personnel from Jharkhand Jaguar and Jharkhand Armed Police have reportedly been deployed around the residence. Barricades have been erected from Suchna Bhawan Chowk to Ram Mandir Chowk, while security has been intensified within a radius of around 500 metres of the CM’s residence.
As part of the security arrangements, the road connecting Suchna Bhawan to ATI has been closed. The area is also reportedly being monitored through drone cameras and other surveillance systems.
The heightened security has affected traffic movement on Kanke Road. Vehicles coming from the Morabadi and Kutchery Chowk sides are being diverted through alternative routes to prevent congestion and facilitate security arrangements.
The students have been protesting at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium for nearly 20 days, demanding comprehensive reforms in the recruitment examination system and an impartial investigation into alleged irregularities and paper leaks in JPSC Civil Services and JSSC-CGL examinations.
The demand for a CBI probe remains the key point of contention. While the state government has claimed that nearly 90 per cent of the students’ demands have been addressed, the protesters continue to press for a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities.
The reported plan to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence comes amid the continuing deadlock between the government and the agitating students.
No direct statement from the protesters or the administration regarding the proposed August 20 programme was available in the information provided. The reported security deployment is understood to have been made on the basis of intelligence inputs received by the authorities.
