Ranchi: Ranchi Police has filed FIRs against 14 named and more than 200 unnamed persons in connection with the August 21 clash between police and JPSC-JSSC protesters in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

According to the FIR, leaders of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, including Kunal Pratap Singh, Piyush Kumar and Ravindra Paswan, have been named among those accused.

Protesters Marched to JPSC Office

Members of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch took out a protest march on Friday towards the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) office in Ranchi.

The protesters accused the Hemant Soren-led government of failing to properly defend before the High Court its decision to cancel several recruitment examinations.

Similar protests were also reported in Hazaribag and Giridih.

The protest later turned into a clash between police and students, following which the FIRs were registered.

Opposition Accuses Government of Using Force

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi accused the state government of using force against protesting students.

Former Chief Minister Champai Soren also described the alleged crackdown in Ranchi, Hazaribag and Giridih as unfortunate and said it violated the democratic rights of students.

Marandi also criticised the JMM-Congress government over its handling of the recruitment examination issue and said the protesting students would continue to fight for their rights.

Jharkhand HC Stays JPSC-JSSC Exam Cancellation

The FIRs come a day after the Jharkhand High Court stayed the state government’s decision to cancel the JSSC CGL examination.

The order provided relief to 1,932 candidates selected through the examination. The High Court has also stayed the cancellation of JPSC examinations. The next hearing is scheduled for September 15.

The state government had earlier cancelled 39 examinations and postponed six others over alleged irregularities. The affected examinations include recent recruitment drives as well as several earlier examinations.

Several candidates selected through JPSC examinations and currently serving in government jobs challenged the cancellation order before the High Court.

Candidates Oppose Scrapping Entire Exams

The appointed candidates have maintained that they have no objection to an investigation into alleged irregularities.

However, they have opposed scrapping the entire examination after completing the selection process through which they were appointed.

They have argued that if any wrongdoing is established, action should be taken against those responsible rather than against candidates who secured appointments through what they described as a legitimate recruitment process.

The latest FIRs are expected to add another layer to the ongoing dispute between the protesting candidates and the Jharkhand government over the recruitment examinations.