POLICE used water cannons, lobbed tear gas shells, and lathicharged 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 JagannathpurTemple 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. 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. ED INITIATES PROBE INTO PSC EXAMS CASE: ED has launched an investigation into alleged irregularities in the conduct of multiple recruitment examinations in Jharkhand particularly the JSSC-CGL examination, officials said on Monday. They said the Central agency has taken cognisance of a State police CID FIR and some other complaints to initiate a probe under PMLA. All three JPSC members -- Ajeeta Bhattacharya, the wife of prominent JMM leader Supriyo Bhattacharyya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmad -- resigned on Sunday.