Protests over Recruitment Exams Clash with Police in Ranchi

Protesting students in Jharkhand clashed with police on August 21 as they attempted to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The protest, organized by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, sought to expand demonstrations to all 24 districts of the state. On Friday, thousands of students gathered at Gandhi Maidan in Ranchi, and after police took away an effigy, a scuffle broke out, leading to a lathi-charge and dispersal of demonstrators, as reported by Moneycontrol. The same day, clashes were reported in at least four district headquarters, according to Republic World.

The following days saw a broadening of the legal response. Three FIRs were registered at Ranchi's Kotwali police station against 14 named individuals and more than 200 unidentified people, with cases based on complaints from Ankita Verma, Shahbaz, and a magistrate, as confirmed by Ranchi City SP Paras Rana. Named accused include Kunal Kumar, Piyush Kumar Singh, Ravindra Paswan, Chandi Tiwari, Chittaranjan Kumar, Saurav, Virendra Pratap, and Sumit Sharma. One FIR was lodged by police for obstruction and route violation; two were based on individual complaints. Police were reported to have obtained video footage and were investigating the sequence of events, in The New Indian Express.

In Hazaribagh, an FIR was registered at Korra police station against 700 people — 200 named and 500 unidentified — in connection with Friday's clash, as reported by in and The New Indian Express. Later, The Hindu reported three FIRs against 28 named and more than 900 unnamed people in Giridih and Hazaribag for clashes on Friday and Saturday, with two FIRs at the Town police station in Giridih and another for obstructing government work in Hazaribag.

Political Blame and Counter-Accusations

The protests have drawn sharp political reactions. Jharkhand Leader of Opposition, Babulal Marandi, alleged that JMM goons were deliberately deployed by the state government and assaulted protesters with sticks and batons while police administration was not present. In remarks reported by Republic World and ANI, Marandi stated: "Regarding today's incident, I would say that JMM goons were deliberately deployed by the government." He added that the police administration was nowhere to be seen when protests were underway. Police officials, however, said they resorted to mild force after protesters violated a designated route.

Marandi also demanded the immediate withdrawal of FIRs against students, urging them not to fear jail if cases are not dropped, as quoted by ANI. In parallel, SFI National Joint Secretary Aishe Ghosh said the protests have made the government and administration accountable, calling it a "victory for the movement." He also accused the BJP of playing a selective role on exam-related issues, pointing to NEET irregularities and cancellations of NTA NET papers.

Fourth Round of Talks and Administrative Actions

The state government extended an invitation for a fourth round of talks with protest leaders, as confirmed by Ranchi district official SDO Kumar Rajat, who said the meeting would be held between 2 m. and 3 m. on Monday at the state guest house, reported The Hindu.

Separately, Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri issued guidelines making prior permission mandatory for protests, citing Supreme Court rulings that the right to protest is subject to applicable laws. He stated that organizers must provide information on proposed routes, timing, and expected participants to ensure public safety and traffic management. The administration also called for citizens not to believe unverified news, as anti-social elements were spreading false information, per The Hindu.

Ranchi cyber police issued a notice to X Corporation under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, seeking details about the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch's social media account, which they claimed was posting false and fabricated information.

Background: Exam Cancellations and High Court Stay

The protests have been ongoing since July 25 over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations conducted by the JPSC and JSSC. The movement paused after the state government canceled 44 exams held since 2014 through testing firm TSR Data Processing Private Limited. Nevertheless, candidates who had cleared exams went to Jharkhand High Court, which stayed cancellations of appointments made through the 11th to 13th JPSC exams, the food safety officer exam, JSSC-CGL, and the CDPO exam, causing the current round of protests.