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Ranchi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called a statewide bandh in Jharkhand on Tuesday, August 11, to protest the alleged use of force against students
during their march towards the state Assembly. The BJP has accused the Hemant Soren government of using “force” against protesting students and announced the bandh from 8 am to midnight. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), however, has dismissed the shutdown as a political stunt and said it will have no impact on normal life. The student agitation has been going on since July 25 over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, particularly the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination.
#WATCH | JPSC-JSSC aspirants' protest in Ranchi | Jharkhand BJP has called for a statewide bandh today, protesting the police action against students during the JPSC-JSSC protest in Ranchi yesterday.
Visuals from Harmu Chowk, Ranchi pic.twitter.com/7UuH4OX1aF— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2026
Students Clash With Police During Assembly March
The agitation escalated on Monday when thousands of job aspirants marched towards the Assembly, where the monsoon session was underway.
Police allegedly used water cannons and fired several rounds of tear gas after protesters crossed multiple barricades near Jagannathpur Temple. A fresh lathi-charge followed after some protesters reached Gate No. 1 of the Assembly and staged a sit-in.
The protesters alleged that several students, including women, were injured in the police action. Ranchi SSP, however, said 14 police personnel were injured in stone pelting and that CCTV footage would be examined to identify those responsible.
BJP state president Aditya Sahu alleged that hundreds of protesters were injured and accused the government of treating students like criminals.
The BJP had also gheraoed Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence before the Assembly march.
Soren, who turned 51 on Monday, appealed to the protesting students to resolve their grievances through “dialogue and trust”. He said students had the democratic right to raise their concerns and assured them that the government would examine their demands with “utmost seriousness and sensitivity”.
The Chief Minister also accused opposition leaders of trying to mislead students for political gains and urged the protesters not to fall into any political trap.
ED Probe, CID Arrest Add To Recruitment Exam Row
The protests came as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in multiple recruitment examinations, particularly the JSSC-CGL exam.
The Jharkhand CID also arrested former Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) chairperson L Khiangte in connection with the alleged irregularities. A senior state probe agency official confirmed the arrest.
Khiangte, a 1988-batch IAS officer and former Jharkhand chief secretary, was appointed JPSC chairperson in February last year and resigned on July 22. His arrest took the number of people arrested by the CID in the case to 20.
The agency had earlier conducted searches at 18 locations across Ranchi, Palamu, Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Dhanbad.
The state government has agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and backlog examinations held in 2023 and 2025. Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government had also agreed to an ED probe after evidence of financial irregularities emerged.
On the JSSC-CGL examination, Kumar said the government could not order its cancellation as the examination was conducted under court monitoring.
The government has proposed a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to oversee the CID investigation, but the protesting students have rejected the proposal.
The government has also proposed reforms to the standard operating procedures of the JPSC and JSSC, with inputs from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM-Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur.
Rahul Gandhi Condemns Police Action
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned the police action and said peaceful protests should not be met with violence.
“Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions,” Gandhi said, urging the Jharkhand government to resolve the students’ grievances at the earliest.
The Congress is an ally of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand.
Gandhi’s remarks drew a sharp response from the BJP. Union Minister J P Nadda accused him of double standards, pointing out that the Congress is part of the ruling alliance in the state.
Meanwhile, the health condition of Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for nine days over the issue, deteriorated during Monday’s march.
Mahto was admitted to Ranchi Sadar Hospital after his blood sugar level dropped “drastically”. Doctors described his condition as critical.
Despite his health condition, Mahto joined the march in an ambulance and later addressed protesters while lying on a stretcher. His aide alleged that he was injured during the police action.
The students have been protesting since July 25, demanding a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. They are also seeking reforms in the JPSC and JSSC and cancellation of several recruitment tests, including the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination.
The protesters have demanded an independent investigation either by the CBI or by a panel of retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand.
With the BJP’s statewide bandh on Tuesday, the recruitment exam controversy has now turned into a major political confrontation between the opposition and the JMM-led government.
