Police use water cannons to disperse Jharkhand students

ISLAMABAD: Police used water cannons in Ranchi, capital of the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, to disperse students marching toward the State Assembly to protest irregularities in the state civil service examinations, Indian media reported on Monday.

Videos shared on social media platforms showed protesters dancing, while water was being thrown from the cannons.

Earlier, students protesting irregularities in government recruitment examinations had announced they would march toward the state assembly on Monday after talks with the Hemant Soren government failed to resolve a standoff over their demand for an independent investigation.

The protest, which enters its 17th day, centers on allegations of irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), including the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination.

Students are demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities, adoption of their proposed examination-reform model and strict adherence to a recruitment calendar. They say the agitation will continue until these demands are fully addressed.

The government maintains that it has accepted 98% of the students’ demands and has urged them to end the agitation and continue negotiations. Protesters reject that claim, saying only three of the 13 examinations they sought to have cancelled have been scrapped.

As part of its proposed measures, the government has agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC examination and proposed an Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged financial irregularities. It has also announced a fast-track mechanism under which charge sheets in cases linked to examination irregularities are to be filed within 90 days.

For broader recruitment reforms, the government has proposed an expert panel involving representatives from various local universities. It has also proposed a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to examine the JSSC-CGL issue and launched a portal to seek students’ suggestions on examination reforms.

However, the government has rejected the demand for a CBI probe into the JSSC-CGL examination, arguing that the test was conducted under the monitoring of the High Court and Supreme Court. The nature of the investigation remains the main point of disagreement between the two sides.

The protest gains further significance after three JPSC members resigned on Sunday, following summons by the state investigation department for questioning over allegations, including paper leaks. JPSC chairman L. Khiangte had resigned in July, while officials say 19 people have been arrested in connection with alleged examination irregularities.

Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto remains on an indefinite hunger strike, while six students are reported to be fasting. Mahto urges students and parents across Jharkhand to join Monday’s march while maintaining peace.

Authorities have tightened security in Ranchi ahead of the demonstration. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita are in force within a 750-meter radius of the Assembly from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., while barricades and additional police deployments have been put in place.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar have appealed to the protesters to resolve the dispute through dialogue, while student leaders insist that the Assembly march will remain peaceful but continue until their key demands are met.