Jharkhand Students Plan Assembly March Over Recruitment Exam Irregularities, Security Tightened in Ranchi

Security arrangements have been intensified across Ranchi ahead of a proposed ‘Assembly March’ by students protesting alleged irregularities and malpractices in various government recruitment examinations in Jharkhand. The student movement, which has continued for more than two weeks, entered its 16th day on Sunday, while six students have been on hunger strike for the past few days. In view of the proposed march and plans to surround the state Assembly, Ranchi Police has imposed restrictions around the Assembly premises and made extensive security arrangements across the city. Barricades have been installed at major intersections, according to the administration. ADG (Headquarters) Manoj Kaushik said the police administration had been placed on high alert to prevent any untoward incident during the protest. He appealed to the protesting students to conduct their march peacefully and in a disciplined manner, as they had done over the previous two weeks. Kaushik also said it was the responsibility of the students to ensure that miscreants and anti-social elements did not become part of the march. Ranchi SSP Rakesh Ranjan said maintaining law and order was a collective responsibility so that no student's career was adversely affected during the protest. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Amar Bauri alleged on Sunday that the party's state president, Aditya Sahu, had been placed under house detention. Bauri, who is the BJP state general secretary, questioned the government's action and said that deploying a heavy police force outside Sahu's residence would not succeed in suppressing the movement. According to the district administration, restrictions under Section 144 will remain in force within a 750-metre radius of the Assembly building from August 6 to August 12, between 6 am and 10 pm. Similar restrictions were also imposed in Jamshedpur from midnight on Sunday in view of the expected impact of the Ranchi march. The Ranchi district administration has appealed to students to stay away from any form of violent or illegal protest. On the other hand, protesting students have alleged that hundreds of students travelling to Ranchi from different parts of Jharkhand are being forcibly stopped by the police. The protest against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations entered its 16th day on Sunday. Six students have been sitting on hunger strike for the past few days as the agitation continues.