3 weeks ago
Jharkhand recruitment exam protests escalate; ED launches money-laundering probe
Many students in a state in India called Jharkhand are very upset.
They think some government exams for jobs were not fair.
So they marched in the capital city, Ranchi, to ask their leaders for help.
The police used water cannons, tear gas and batons to stop them, and both sides say people got hurt.
The government arrested a former head of the exam board and began a big investigation.
The chief minister, Hemant Soren, asked everyone to talk calmly instead of fighting.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is not in power in the state, asked the whole state to stay closed for a day to stand with the students.
The government agreed to cancel some of the exams but said one big exam cannot be cancelled because a court is watching it.
A protest leader who had stopped eating to protest got very sick and had to go to the hospital.
Everyone wants the exams to be fair, but the leaders disagree about what happened and who is to blame.
Student protests over alleged recruitment exam irregularities escalated in Ranchi on August 10, with police using water cannons, tear gas and lathi-charges to stop a march to the state assembly.
The Enforcement Directorate launched a money-laundering probe into the 'anomalies', and the Jharkhand CID arrested former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte, taking total arrests in the case to 20.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren appealed for dialogue and accused the opposition BJP of misguiding students for political gains; the BJP called a statewide bandh for August 11 over alleged 'police atrocities'.
Rahul Gandhi condemned the police action, drawing a sharp BJP response accusing him of 'double standards' since the Congress is part of the JMM-led ruling coalition.
JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, on a nine-day hunger strike, was hospitalized in critical condition; the government agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC exam and backlog exams but said JSSC-CGL could not be cancelled as it is under court monitoring.
- Who
- Job aspirants and students in Jharkhand; Chief Minister Hemant Soren; the BJP; Congress leader Rahul Gandhi; JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto; former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte.
- What
- Protests over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations escalated into clashes with police in Ranchi; the ED launched a money-laundering probe, the CID arrested Khiangte, and the government agreed to cancel some exams.
- Where
- Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, India — near Jagannathpur Temple, the state assembly and Gate No 1.
- When
- Monday, August 10; the agitation has been ongoing since July 25; the BJP-called statewide bandh is scheduled for August 11.
- Why
- Students allege irregularities in recruitment exams, especially the JSSC-CGL, and demand cancellation of affected tests, an independent CBI or judicial probe, and reforms in the JPSC and JSSC.
Protesters and Opposition
Jharkhand Government and Police
Handling of the August 10 march
Protesters and Opposition
Students say police used water cannons, tear gas and lathi-charges against protesters, injuring several students including women; the BJP alleges hundreds of protesters were injured.
Jharkhand Government and Police
Police say protesters breached multiple barricades and pelted stones, injuring 14 officers; CCTV footage will be analysed to identify the miscreants who disrupted the 'peaceful' protest.
Politics behind the agitation
Protesters and Opposition
The BJP calls the police action 'atrocities' and Rahul Gandhi says peaceful protests should not be met with violence, urging the government to resolve grievances through dialogue.
Jharkhand Government and Police
CM Hemant Soren and Union minister J P Nadda accuse the opposition, including Congress (an ally of the JMM-led coalition), of misleading students for political gains; Nadda questions Gandhi's 'double standards'.
Investigation and exam cancellation
Protesters and Opposition
Students demand a CBI probe or a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state, and rejected the government's proposed committee overseeing the CID investigation.
Jharkhand Government and Police
The government agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC exam and 2023/2025 backlog exams, proposed a committee headed by a retired high court judge, and says the JSSC-CGL exam cannot be cancelled because it is under court monitoring.
Key facts
- State
- Jharkhand, India
- Agitation began
- July 25
- Main demands
- CBI or independent probe into exam irregularities; cancellation of affected tests; JPSC and JSSC reforms
- Exams in question
- JSSC-CGL, 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination, 2023 and 2025 backlog examinations
- Arrests in the case
- 20 people, including former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte
- Investigating agencies
- Enforcement Directorate (money laundering) and Jharkhand CID
- BJP statewide bandh
- August 11, 8 am to midnight
- Reforms proposed
- Changes to JPSC and JSSC standard operating procedures, with inputs from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM-Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur
Quotes
Congress Leader
Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi
“Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions.””
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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