Three FIRs have been lodged against 28 named and more than 900 unnamed people in connection with clashes between police and protesting job aspirants in Jharkhand’s Giridih and Hazaribag, PTI reported on Sunday, citing officials.
The development comes a day after three FIRs were registered at Ranchi's Kotwali police station against 14 named and more than 200 unidentified people for allegedly obstructing government work and clashing with police.
In Giridih, two FIRs were filed at the Town police station in connection with clashes on Friday and Saturday, while another FIR was lodged in Hazaribag for allegedly obstructing government work and assaulting police personnel, the officials said.
On Friday, thousands of students protesting against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations had gathered at Gandhi Maidan to burn an effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, where a scuffle broke out between the protesters and police.
The protests were organised under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch. Student leaders have accused the state government of “deceiving” and “betraying” job aspirants over recruitment examinations and appointments.
JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leaders Kunal Pratap Singh, Piyush Kumar and Ravindra Paswan were among those named in the FIRs registered at the Ranchi police station on Saturday.
One of the three Ranchi FIRs was lodged by police against alleged miscreants for obstructing government duty and violating route-chart norms, while the other two were filed by individuals, officials had said.
The protests have intensified amid a legal dispute over recruitment examinations in the state. The Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed notifications cancelling the appointments of Child Development Project Officers and those recruited through the JSSC-CGL examination.
A day earlier, the court had stayed notifications cancelling the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission examinations. It also stayed an order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers.
The protesters have been demanding action on alleged irregularities in the recruitment process and reforms in the examination system.
The latest FIRs widen the police action against protesters as cases have now been registered in multiple districts following the clashes.
