Violent clashes between students and JMM supporters in Ranchi, Giridih and Hazaribagh over burning the effigy of CM Hemant Soren.

These days, the anger of the students has reached its peak in many major districts of the state including Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. The anger of the students is continuously rising over the alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations of JPSC and JSSC and controversies related to appointments. The situation became completely tense when on Friday, a huge confrontation took place between the protesting students and the workers of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), who had come to burn the effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren at various district headquarters. During this period, there have been reports of scuffles, heated arguments and fights between the two parties at many places, due to which the political temperature in the state has heated up.

Students’ anger is burning over JPSC and JSSC exams.

The youth and students preparing for competitive examinations in the state allege that their future is hanging in the balance due to the poor policies of the government and weak advocacy in the courts. Students have been protesting continuously for the last several weeks under the banner of JPSC-JSSC Reforms platform. The main anger of the students is that their years of hard work are being wasted due to the recent cancellation or delay in many recruitment processes. Due to this resentment, the Manch had made an aggressive announcement of burning the effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren at all the district headquarters of the state, after which the administrative staff and the local police were on full alert mode.

Heavy clashes took place during effigy burning in Ranchi, Giridih and Hazaribagh.

When students came out to protest as per the scheduled program on Friday, huge uproar was seen in different parts of Jharkhand. There was chaos near the historic Albert Ekka Chowk and Chadri Pond in the capital Ranchi when JMM supporters and students came face to face to snatch the effigy of the Chief Minister from the hands of the protesters. Within no time this minor protest turned into a violent clash and pushing and shoving started from both sides. A similar scene was seen at Jhanda Maidan in Giridih and Gandhi Maidan in Hazaribagh, where there was a fierce dispute between students and JMM workers who were preparing to burn the effigy. The students alleged that ruling party workers had forcibly reached the spot to intimidate them and suppress their democratic rights.

Police intervention and use of mild force for control

Seeing the situation getting out of control, the local police and administration had to immediately take action. In other affected areas including Ranchi and Hazaribagh, police used mild force to disperse the crowd and restore law and order. The police in Ranchi controlled the situation and detained some student leaders, which further enraged the students. Administrative officials say that by gathering crowds without permission and arbitrarily and demonstrating at main intersections, traffic was being disrupted and it was necessary to take steps for security reasons. Sadar Hospital and other sensitive areas were converted into police cantonments so that any untoward incident could be prevented in time.

Intensified rhetoric and counter-attacks between political parties

After this entire incident, there has been an earthquake in the politics of Jharkhand and the opposition has left no stone unturned to corner the government. BJP state president and leader of opposition Babulal Marandi launched a scathing attack on the Hemant Soren government and alleged that JMM supporters attacked the youth who were protesting peacefully in hooliganism. He said that instead of answering the questions of the students, the government is resorting to repressive policies. On the other hand, JMM’s Central General Secretary Vinod Pandey hit back and said that the opposition is deliberately using innocent students as pawns and disturbing the atmosphere to make political gains. However, after these clashes, the dissatisfaction among the youth of Jharkhand against the government seems to be deepening.