Ranchi, Aug 14: The JPSC-JSSC student agitation in Ranchi entered its 21st day on Friday, with protesters announcing a Tiranga Yatra on August 15 even as the movement continued to face an FIR row, hunger strikes, ongoing CID investigations and an escalating political battle.
The protesters, under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said the Tiranga Yatra would be held on Independence Day to mark the country’s 80th Independence Day and further strengthen their movement.
The students are demanding greater transparency in recruitment examinations, cancellation of several tests and an independent investigation either by the CBI or a panel of retired judges from outside Jharkhand.
The agitation has also intensified following the August 10 march towards the state Assembly, during which protesters clashed with security personnel. The Ranchi administration has registered an FIR against around 300 unnamed persons, citing alleged violation of prohibitory orders, damage to government property and attacks on police personnel.
Police are examining video footage to identify those allegedly involved in the violence. DSP (Hatia) Neeraj Kumar said no arrests or detentions had been made so far.
Fourteen police personnel were injured during the confrontation, following which security forces used batons, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan appealed to the administration not to implicate genuine students in the case.
“If the administration has registered an FIR against unidentified persons, we do not have any objection. But we would like to appeal to the administration and the Jharkhand government not to file an FIR against any student,” Paswan said.
Meanwhile, concern over the health of JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto has added another dimension to the agitation. Mahto has been on hunger strike for 13 days and was admitted to Sadar Hospital after his health deteriorated following the Assembly march.
Four other students on hunger strike are also undergoing treatment at the hospital, according to protesters.
On the investigation front, the state CID has continued raids at multiple locations to execute arrest warrants against seven accused in cases related to alleged irregularities in competitive examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission.
The CID has so far arrested 20 people, including former JPSC chairperson L. Khiangte, in connection with the alleged recruitment-examination irregularities.
The agitation has also attracted support from social organisations, authors and other groups, with several organisations providing free food to protesters since the movement began.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has maintained that his government is committed to recruitment-examination reforms and has assured the protesters that the 14th JPSC examination will be cancelled. He has also accused the opposition BJP of using the student movement for political gains.
The BJP, in turn, has accused the Hemant Soren government of attempting to suppress the agitation.
The Congress, an ally of the ruling alliance, has accused the BJP of politicising the students’ movement and allegedly bringing workers from outside the state to disrupt the protest.
Former chief minister Raghubar Das has also backed the demand for a CBI probe and threatened to undertake a hunger strike if the demand is not fulfilled within a week.
Meanwhile, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has announced protests at more than 1,200 universities over the issue and questioned the credibility of the state-appointed Special Investigation Team, citing repeated changes in its composition.
With the planned Tiranga Yatra, the student movement is set to enter another high-profile phase on Independence Day, even as protesters continue to press for transparency, accountability and an independent probe into alleged recruitment irregularities.
