The Jharkhand Police on Thursday registered a first information report against 300 unidentified persons for violating orders barring public gatherings and damaging government property during the student protesters’ march to the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday, PTI quoted an unidentified officer as saying.

The march was organised as part of an agitation against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations conducted for state government jobs.

Ranchi Superintendent of Police Paras Rana told PTI that the FIR has been registered “for disrupting the peaceful march”.

The unidentified persons have also been booked for attacking police personnel during the march.

The police are trying to identify the individuals through video footage, PTI quoted Hatia Sub-Divisional Police Officer Neeraj Kumar as saying.

The protests in Jharkhand began on July 25, inspired by the agitation across the country against alleged mismanagement of national competitive examinations. The protesters have been holding a sit-in at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.

On Monday, thousands of students marched towards the Assembly as part of their protest. Several protesters were injured after police lathi-charged them and fired tear gas. Despite the police action, protesters breached several barricades and reached the Assembly premises. The House had already been adjourned for the day.

Youth protests

The protesters have demanded the cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission Combined Preliminary Test held on April 19.

They have also sought an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.

On Sunday, the Jharkhand government agreed to cancel three examinations, including the Jharkhand Public Service Commission Combined Civil Services.

However, students have continued their protest, demanding that the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level examination also be cancelled and that the CBI look into all state public commission tests.

The government has refused to cancel the graduate-level examination, saying that it was conducted under the monitoring of the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court. It has instead proposed a high-level judicial inquiry headed by a retired judge to investigate allegations related to the examination.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

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