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Days after dramatic clashes outside the Jharkhand Assembly during a protest by job aspirants, police have registered an FIR against nearly 600 people,
including 100 named accused and around 500 unidentified protesters. The FIR, lodged at the Assembly Police Station, invokes multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said they are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to identify those allegedly involved in violence, damage to public property and disruption of law and order during the Assembly gherao.
Assembly Gherao Turns Violent
On August 10, thousands of young job seekers marched towards the Assembly in Ranchi. As protesters attempted to push through barricades, police responded with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges. Authorities claimed some demonstrators turned violent and resorted to stone-pelting, while protesters alleged excessive use of force against largely peaceful aspirants seeking answers over recruitment-related concerns. Several people, including protesters and police personnel, were reported injured in the confrontation.
The crackdown triggered criticism from opposition leaders and student groups, who argued that the government's response was focused more on policing dissent rather than addressing concerns about recruitment transparency.
The protest, led primarily by JPSC and JSSC aspirants, is part of a broader agitation led by students and job aspirants, over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, including demands for greater transparency, cancellation of disputed exams and a CBI probe into the recruitment process.
The demonstrations have been ongoing for weeks and intensified after talks between representatives of the aspirants and the state government failed to produce a breakthrough.
The agitation gained further momentum after the Jharkhand CID arrested former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte in connection with alleged examination irregularities, a development many aspirants cite as validation of their longstanding demands for accountability.
The agitation has been spearheaded by JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has become the most recognisable face of the recruitment exam protests. Mahto, who had been on a hunger strike for nine days alleging irregularities in state recruitment examinations, joined the Assembly march in an ambulance despite his worsening condition. He was later hospitalised after his health deteriorated, with aides claiming he was injured during the police lathicharge.
On Thursday, he wrote to the Civil Surgeon at the Sadar Hospital, seeking permission to return to the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has maintained that his government is committed to dialogue and justice for aspirants, even as the administration defends the police action as necessary to maintain order.
