Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised the Jharkhand government over the use of force against student protestors during the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, "The use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand is wrong. Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions."
He advised the government, which runs on a coalition with Congress, to listen to the students' demands and resolve them immediately. "Jharkhand government must continue to hear these students out and resolve their issues immediately," he added.
Students reach Jharkhand Assembly gate
His statement came as students try to surround the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly under the call of 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao'. The police resorted to lathi-charge, tear gas shelling and water cannons to disperse the crowd heading towards the state assembly, mirroring the police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi last month as they led a march on Parliament.
Several protestors sustained injuries during the police action, which the cops said was prompted by the presence of some anti-social elements.
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Defying the crackdown, the protestors, however, reached Gate No 1 of the state assembly at around 6 PM.
Impasse over CBI probe
Earlier on Sunday, the student delegation met the government for the second time. The government agreed to '98 per cent' of the demands. The Hemant Soren government had proposed the cancellation of JPSC exams and CID and ED probes into the financial transactions of the agency conducting the JPSC exam.
However, on CGL, the government disagreed on the CBI probe demand. Subsequently, the student delegation announced to proceed with the planned 'gherao'.
Accordingly, the march towards the state assembly started at 10:30 AM today. The protesters are demanding comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) to end the spiral of exam irregularities.
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Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a fast for nine days and protesting as part of a separate faction, also joined the protest march, carrying a portrait of former CM Shibu Soren.
He also expressed anger over the installation of barbed-wire barricades along the march route.