Ranchi, 10 August

Police used water cannons, lobbed tear gas shells, and lathi-charged job aspirants as they breached barricades and closed in on Jharkhand Assembly premises, protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment exams.

The Assembly was adjourned for the day in the afternoon.

Several protesters claimed they were injured in the police action, which took place when they reached the final barricade near Jagannathpur Temple on the road to the assembly.

"The baton charge was barbaric. We were protesting peacefully, but the government used batons against us. They can only inflict physical injuries, not harm our thoughts," Piyush Kumar Soni, a protester, told PTI.

"Many female students sustained injuries. Police hit us on our head, arms, face everywhere," he claimed.

Vikram Kumar, who came from Hazaribag district, claimed to have sustained a head injury.

"Whatever the Hemant Soren government is doing to us is not good. We were protesting peacefully; then why is your police baton charging us," he asked.

The march, which coincided with the 51st birthday of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, began from outside the old assembly building around 10.30 am as the protest over the recruitment exam irregularities entered the 17th day.

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's state unit president Shashank Raj said: “Today is a black day for democracy as police used batons on peaceful protesters. Many of the agitators have suffered injuries."

He urged the chief minister not to be "insensitive" towards students' demands.

JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a fast for nine days over the issue, joined the march in an ambulance. He was seen carrying a portrait of former chief minister Shibu Soren.

Objecting to the installation of barbed-wire barricades along the route of the assembly march, Mahto said anger was brewing among students over the injustices done to them.

"The government is hell-bent on suppressing our voice. We will not hold any talks now," he said.

Armed with tricolours and placards that read "Cancel JSSC-CGL Exams or Conduct a CBI Probe", "Why is CID escaping from conducting a raid on JSSC?" and "Conduct an impartial investigation, bring out the truth", thousands of young men and women breached one barricade after the other amid heavy security deployment.

As police used water cannons when the march reached Jagannathpur Temple, the demonstrators broke into dance, waving tricolours. But the situation soon escalated when the protesters attempted to march forward, prompting the police to baton charge.

Failing to restrain the gathering, the police fired several rounds of tear gas shells when the protesters were about 200 meters away from the assembly.

"If we cannot reach the assembly, our voices must reach them. We do not fear the government, which is treating us like traitors. We have been compelled to take to the streets," a protester said.

The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which is spearheading the agitation, said it has deployed around 500 volunteers to prevent anti-social elements from joining the march.

JLKM MLA Jairam Mahto, who joined the march a day after holding a fast over the issue, said, "The students are protesting peacefully; why is the police trying to restrain them? They are not carrying lathis in their hands.

Meanwhile, state minister Sudivya Kumar claimed that the BJP had "hijacked" the protest for its political ambition.

Talking to reporters outside the assembly, he said it was unfortunate that the job aspirants were agitating despite the government fulfilling 95 per cent of their demands.

Earlier, replying to a query on the protests in the assembly, Kumar alleged the agitation has shifted from being a students' movement to one dominated by "BJP's evil mentality and political designs".

Besides imposing prohibitory orders, heavy security was deployed on the entire stretch, around 4 km long, with senior officers keeping a close watch, officials said.

More than 1,500 personnel from the Rapid Action Force, Indian Reserve Battalion, district police and QRT have been deployed, they said.

The government has held several rounds of talks with the demonstrators, but failed to break the deadlock.

The protesters said the government had agreed to cancel only three of the 13 exams they wanted scrapped.

The agitators are demanding comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

They are also seeking cancellation of several recruitment tests, including the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination, and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities, either by the CBI or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.