Jharkhand: ABVP members held after scuffle with police near CM's residence

Ranchi, August 8: At least eight to ten members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were detained on Friday after a scuffle with police near Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence, officials said. The detentions came as the student organisation attempted to break through barricades during a protest march, raising slogans demanding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination.

The march, which began at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University in Ranchi, was aimed at expressing solidarity with students and job aspirants who have been protesting for over two weeks at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. According to a police officer, the ABVP members scuffled with personnel and tried to break through barricades near the Chief Minister's residence.

“Eight to ten members have been detained and will be taken to Lalpur police station,” the officer said. Among those detained were ABVP office-bearers Pradeep Shekhawat, Pashupatinath Upmanyu and Prakash Tuti.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Ajay Aryan said the protest march was stopped near Sidho Kanho Park to prevent any untoward situation. “They were taking out a protest march from Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University to the CM's residence. They have been stopped near Sidho Kanho Park,” he told PTI.

The ABVP has called for a larger march to the state assembly on August 11 over the issue. State secretary Prakash Tuti said the organisation stands firmly with the protesting students. “On Saturday, we held a march to the CM's residence to support their legitimate demands. Through the march, we strongly raised their voices. We have questions and the CM is answerable. The ABVP has decided to hold a march to the assembly on August 11 over the issue,” he said, urging students, women and youth from across the state to participate on a massive scale.

A detained ABVP member alleged that police were “hell-bent to suppress students' voice”. However, he clarified, “We have no problem with the police, our fight is with the government and its policies. For over two weeks, students and job aspirants have been holding protests at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium here. They are demanding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination, but the State government is not considering their demands. We organised the march to show solidarity with the agitators.”

The protests over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand entered their 15th day on Saturday, with talks between the state government and the protesters failing to break the deadlock. The agitation has centred on demands for a fresh examination and action against those responsible for the alleged irregularities.

Police have maintained that the barricades near the CM's residence were set up to maintain law and order. The detentions were made to prevent any escalation. The situation remained peaceful after the detentions, officials said.