Police have registered three FIRs against 28 named people and more than 900 unidentified persons following clashes during protests by job aspirants in Giridih and Hazaribag, officials said on Sunday.
The cases were registered over incidents involving protesters and police personnel during demonstrations against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations.
In Hazaribag, police filed an FIR at Korra police station against 18 named persons and around 700 unidentified people. The case relates to an incident on August 21 when protesters allegedly attempted to burn an effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and clashed with police.
Hazaribag Sadar DSP Rupak Kumar Singh said the accused have been booked for allegedly obstructing government work and assaulting police personnel.
Korra police station officer-in-charge Nemdhari Rajak said no arrests or detentions had been made so far. Police are examining CCTV recordings and videos from the protest to identify those involved.
Eight police personnel were injured in the incident, including four sub-inspectors who were serving as officers-in-charge of the Korra, Lohsinghna, Sadar and Bada Bazar police stations, Rajak said.
The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to assault on police personnel, obstruction of government duty and unlawful assembly.
Two FIRs in Giridih
In Giridih, two separate FIRs were registered at the Town police station over clashes that took place on Friday and Saturday.
The first case was registered on the complaint of ABVP activist Anish Rai, while the second followed a complaint by Sadar Circle Inspector Manoj Kumar Singh.
According to the officer-in-charge of Giridih Town police station, the first FIR names 11 people, including JMM district president Sanjay Singh, along with 20 unidentified persons. The second names around 10 people and lists 200 unidentified individuals.
Police alleged that the protesters attempted to disrupt traffic at five locations, confronted police personnel while trying to burn the Chief Minister’s effigy and used abusive language against him.
The clashes followed a protest by thousands of students at Gandhi Maidan on Friday. The protesters had gathered to voice their opposition to alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and planned to burn an effigy of Soren.
The latest cases come a day after three FIRs were registered at Ranchi’s Kotwali police station against 14 named persons and 200 unidentified individuals over allegations of obstructing government work and clashing with police.
Students accuse government of betrayal
The protests have been organised under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, with student leaders accusing the Jharkhand government of misleading job aspirants following recent court orders concerning recruitment examinations.
The students have particularly objected to government notifications cancelling appointments linked to the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations, the JSSC-CGL examination and the recruitment of Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs).
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed the notifications cancelling the appointments of CDPOs and candidates recruited through the JSSC-CGL examination.
A day earlier, the court had stayed notifications cancelling the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations and also put on hold the cancellation of appointments of food safety officers.
Student leaders have described the government’s actions as a betrayal of candidates who have spent years preparing for the recruitment examinations. The protests have since intensified across parts of the state, with clashes with police now leading to multiple criminal cases.
