RANCHI: Thousands of job aspirants marched nearly 6 km from the old assembly premises to the new Jharkhand assembly on Monday, demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL 2024 examination and a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.The march began around 11 am, with aspirants arriving from different districts amid a stalemate with the state govt following three rounds of talks. Protesters moved towards the high-security assembly area, where prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS were in force, and gathered near Gate 1.The situation remained largely under control for most of the day, though sporadic scuffles broke out as protesters attempted to cross barricades. Police used water cannons, tear gas and “dummy shells” to disperse sections of the crowd. At least three protesters and several security personnel were injured.Tension escalated in the evening after hundreds of protesters refused to leave the assembly area despite repeated appeals from police. A section of the crowd allegedly pelted stones, broke barricades and damaged a police vehicle by smashing its windowpanes. Police subsequently used force to clear the site.Scores of protesters later returned to Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, the epicentre of the agitation, and raised slogans against the govt. They alleged excessive police action after dusk, claimed several aspirants had suffered serious injuries and vowed to intensify the agitation. BJP criticised the govt over the action against the protesters.Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been leading a faction of the protesting students and has been on hunger strike for 17 days, was taken in a wheelchair to Ranchi Sadar Hospital at night.SP (city) Paras Rana said three to four policemen were injured in stone pelting. “Two policemen suffered head injuries requiring stitches. At one point, protesters attempting to break a barricade trampled several personnel, compelling us to resort to a minor lathicharge,” he said.Deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said the administration exercised “maximum restraint”, but some protesters broke barricades and violated prohibitory orders. Suspecting the presence of “anti-social elements” among the crowd, he said drone and videography footage would be examined to identify them.Earlier, minister Sudiya Kumar said the protesters remained adamant despite the govt agreeing to most of their demands. He accused BJP of trying to orchestrate unrest and derail the talks.
