Jharkhand student march: Prohibitory orders, heavy security as protests enter 16th day

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Police has imposed prohibitory orders around the state assembly premises and deployed additional forces across the city ahead of a proposed 'Vidhan Sabha March' by students on Monday (August 10, 2026). The students, protesting for over two weeks against alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations, have called for the march to press their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.

Authorities have promulgated prohibitory orders within a 750-metre radius of the Vidhan Sabha building from August 6 to 12, enforceable between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on these days. Similar restrictions came into effect from Sunday midnight in Jamshedpur, according to an official statement.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Manoj Kaushik said the police administration has been put on alert in view of the possibility of unrest during the march. He urged the students to continue protesting in a peaceful and disciplined manner, as they have done over the past two weeks. “It is their responsibility to ensure that anti-social elements and troublemakers are prevented from joining the march,” he said.

Ranchi Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan emphasised that maintaining law and order during the march is a collective responsibility. “We do not want a blot on the career of any student due to disruption of law and order. Barricades have been put in place at major points with the deployment of adequate police force across the city,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amar Bauri alleged on Sunday that the party's state unit president, Aditya Sahu, had been “put under house arrest”. Bauri, the party's state general secretary, said the government would “not be able to achieve success by deploying security personnel outside Mr. Sahu’s residence”.

The Ranchi district administration has appealed to the agitating students to refrain from any aggressive demonstrations and cautioned against violence and illegal activities during the protest march to the assembly.

Protesters, however, alleged that hundreds of students coming to the state capital from different parts of Jharkhand were being stopped forcefully by the police. The student protest entered its 16th day on Sunday, with six protesters on an indefinite hunger strike against the alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

The Jharkhand government has already cancelled the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination, which was at the centre of the controversy. Students have said the protests will continue until a CBI probe is ordered into the matter.

Authorities have urged the students to cooperate with law enforcement and ensure that the march remains peaceful. The police have stated that necessary security arrangements are in place to prevent any untoward incident while allowing peaceful expression of dissent.