The Jharkhand police has registered a first information report (FIR) against unknown individuals at the Vidhan Sabha police station in connection with the August 10 march by job aspirants to the state assembly over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in the state, people aware of the development said on Thursday.
Talking to HT, a police officer familiar with the matter said the FIR was registered on Wednesday based on the statement of the magistrate on duty, Mohammed Nishat Ahmad. “The police have filed an FIR against unidentified rioters under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Charges have been framed under Sections 109, 115(2), 117(2), 121, 132, 189(2)(3), 190, 191(2), 221, 223, 285 and 352 for obstructing government work, assaulting public servants and damaging public property. Sub-Inspector (SI) Anand Pandit has been assigned to investigate the case. The police are currently analysing video footage and photographs to identify the perpetrators,” the officer said.
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A copy of the FIR available with HT does not mention the number of alleged rioters. Ranchi superintendent of police (city) Paras Rana, however, told a news agency that the case had been filed against "300 unknown" people.
{{/usCountry}}A copy of the FIR available with HT does not mention the number of alleged rioters. Ranchi superintendent of police (city) Paras Rana, however, told a news agency that the case had been filed against "300 unknown" people.
{{/usCountry}}According to the FIR, the protest march towards the Jharkhand assembly turned violent when miscreants, allegedly operating under the guise of a student movement, clashed with security forces.
The mob damaged public property and attacked police personnel and magistrates on duty. Several police officers sustained serious injuries during the clash.
The FIR said a large crowd of students moving from the old assembly route towards the new Vidhan Sabha building forcibly broke through the initial defensive drop-gates and barricades erected by the administration, reaching near Niladri Bhavan by 12.15 pm.
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The on-duty magistrate, a revenue sub-inspector of Nagri Circle, used a public-address system to pacify the crowd, reminding them that section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was in force because the assembly session was underway. Ignoring the warnings, the miscreants in the crowd clashed with police and uprooted barricades near Yogoda Satsang. The situation quickly escalated, with the mob allegedly pelting magistrates and police personnel with slippers, shoes, water bottles and stones.
Several police officers were hurt in the stone-pelting with trainee constable Falguni Yadav sustaining head injuries and was rushed to hospital along with other injured personnel for immediate medical treatment. Students’ spokesperson Piyush Kumar Singh said the FIR should not be used to harass genuine students. “No genuine student should be harassed,” he said.