Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Abhijeet Dipke condemns Jharkhand police crackdown on student protesters
Students in Jharkhand, a state in India, were upset because they thought something went wrong with the tests they took for government jobs.
They marched to the state Assembly building to complain about it.
Police tried to stop them using strong methods like tear gas, water cannons, and batons.
Thousands of students took part, and some said they were hurt.
A leader named Abhijeet Dipke said treating students this way is completely unacceptable, and he asked why police never use such force when politicians protest.
Another student leader, Devendra Nath Mahato, who had been on a hunger strike for nine days, was beaten and had to go to the hospital.
Rahul Gandhi, a leader from the Congress party, also said using force against protesting students is wrong.
Some leaders from the BJP party blamed the state government and its partners instead.
The students' march was about fairness in recruitment exams for government jobs.
Police used tear gas, water cannon and batons to disperse thousands of student protesters who breached barricades and reached the Jharkhand Assembly premises, which was in session, on 10 August.
Students were protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, including JPSC examinations, with several saying they were injured in a baton charge near Jagannathpur Temple.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke condemned the crackdown and compared it to a 20 July incident at Jantar Mantar, asking why lathi charges and tear gas are used against students but not when political parties protest.
Dipke said student movement leader Devendra Nath Mahato, on a nine-day hunger strike, was assaulted and 'severely beaten' and is hospitalised with a concerning condition.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wrote on X that the use of force against protesting students in Jharkhand is 'wrong,' while BJP leaders Sanjay Seth and Tejasvi Surya targeted the ruling JMM and Gandhi; JLKM MLA Jairam Mahato called the crackdown a 'government failure.'
- Who
- Thousands of student protesters, Jharkhand police, student movement leader Devendra Nath Mahato, and political figures including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, and BJP leaders Sanjay Seth and Tejasvi Surya.
- What
- Police used tear gas, water cannon and batons to disperse students marching to the Jharkhand Assembly over alleged irregularities in recruitment exams.
- When
- Monday, 10 August.
- Where
- Jharkhand Assembly premises near Jagannathpur Temple, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.
- Why
- Students were protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, and the police crackdown drew condemnation from several political leaders.
Critics of the police action
BJP leaders and ruling party defenders
Use of force against student protesters
Critics of the police action
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke called the lathi-charge and tear gas against students 'completely unacceptable,' asking why such force is never used when political parties protest, and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said the use of force against protesting students in Jharkhand is 'wrong.'
BJP leaders and ruling party defenders
BJP leaders Sanjay Seth and Tejasvi Surya did not defend the crackdown but focused their attack on the ruling JMM and Rahul Gandhi, citing Congress's status as a coalition partner in the state government.
Who is responsible for the crackdown
Critics of the police action
JLKM MLA Jairam Mahato backed the students' march and called the police crackdown a 'government failure' of the Hemant Soren-led JMM government.
BJP leaders and ruling party defenders
BJP leaders pointed the finger at both the ruling JMM and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, arguing that Congress bears responsibility as a coalition partner in the state government.
- Event
- Police crackdown on student protest march
- Reason
- Alleged irregularities in recruitment exams (including JPSC examinations)
- Location
- Jharkhand Assembly premises, near Jagannathpur Temple, Ranchi
- Force used
- Tear gas, water cannon, batons (lathi-charge)
- Protesters
- Thousands of students
- Injured student leader
- Devendra Nath Mahato, hospitalized after nine-day hunger strike
- State government
- Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)
- Date
- Monday, 10 August
