RANCHI: Amid the ongoing student agitation, the BJP has called for a statewide bandh on August 11 in support of protesters’ demands over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
The party accused the Hemant Soren government of ignoring the students’ demands and using force to suppress their movement. BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, announced the shutdown at a press conference on Monday evening.
The announcement comes amid an escalating confrontation between the government and student groups, with recruitment examinations, alleged paper leaks and demands for a CBI probe emerging as major political flashpoints in Jharkhand.
BJP leaders said the party would take to the streets in support of the protesting students and press for a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in various competitive examinations conducted in the state.
The BJP alleged that controversies over competitive examinations have persisted in Jharkhand for years, with students repeatedly raising concerns about paper leaks and other alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.
Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi said students had been protesting for several days at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium complex, demanding cancellation of examinations they consider controversial and a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.
“Students have been protesting for the past 15 days at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged sale of jobs linked to JPSC and JSSC examinations; however, the government has merely been stalling. The students were given the runaround under the guise of holding talks,” said Marandi.
The action taken against the students on Monday was barbaric, he added.
The BJP claimed that students had lost faith in the state’s investigating agencies and argued that an independent CBI investigation was necessary to ensure credibility and accountability.
The party also criticised the police action during the students’ agitation, alleging that protesters were subjected to tear gas, water cannons and lathi-charge. It claimed that several students were injured during the crackdown and alleged that police personnel also dismantled tents put up by protesters at the protest site.
The BJP accused the government of attempting to suppress the students’ movement instead of addressing their grievances through dialogue.
The party maintained that the CBI probe should cover all recruitment examinations where allegations of irregularities have surfaced.