RANCHI: After protesting students laid siege to the Jharkhand Assembly on August 10, the state government now fears another march towards the chief minister’s residence to press their demands.
In view of the apprehension, security has been beefed up around Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence, with roads leading to it completely blocked by barricades within a 500-metre radius, causing widespread traffic disruption and chaos in the city.
Several parts of the city witnessed traffic snarls throughout the day with police offficials claiming that security had been strengthened in the wake of the ongoing students' protest.
“Security around the CM House has been stepped up in view of student protests and demonstrations. Consequently, barricades have been placed on the road. However, keeping public convenience in mind, the barricades are opened at regular intervals,” said Traffic SP Rakesh Singh.
The agitating students, however, said they had not announced any march to the chief minister's house so far and that a sense of panic was deliberately being created to derail their protest.
“As of now, we have not announced any plan to lay siege to the Chief Minister’s residence. Any such announcement in the future will be made by the spokespersons of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Morcha through a press conference. Therefore, people should disregard any misleading reports for now,” said student leader Piyush Kumar Singh.
He, however, made it clear that the students would not compromise on their demand for a CBI inquiry into the JSSC CGL examination.
‘Soren is afraid people’
People stuck in traffic for hours questioned the barricading, with some asking whether Chief Minister Hemant Soren was afraid of the people of Jharkhand.
“Whether CM Hemant Soren is afraid of the people of his state that he has blocked all roads leading to his residence,” said a person stuck in the traffic jam. He asked what a common man should do.
Another commuter said he had been stuck in traffic for nearly 40 minutes and was running late for work.
“Common people are being harassed in the name of the Chief Minister’s security. He should talk to the students and resolve the issue once and for all,” he said.
“There have been irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC examinations, which everyone knows. So, what is the harm in ordering a CBI inquiry? The government is deliberately dragging the issue, putting the common people in trouble,” said another commuter caught in the traffic jam.
He said he worked for a private company and feared facing his boss’s ire for arriving late at the office.