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Ranchi police files FIR against JPSC-JSSC protest leaders over Aug 21 police-students clash
Among those named are Kunal Pratap Singh, Piyush Kumar, and Ravindra Paswan – leaders of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.
The Ranchi Police has on Saturday filed at least three FIRs against 14 named and more than 200 unnamed persons in connection with the August 21 clash between police and JPSC-JSSC protesters in Jharkhand's Capital, an official said.
“Three FIRs have been registered against 14 named accused and over 200 unidentified persons at Kotwali police station in connection with Friday's clash,” PTI news agency cited Ranchi City SP Paras Rana as saying. Among those named are Kunal Pratap Singh, Piyush Kumar, and Ravindra Paswan – leaders of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which was spearheading the protest against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment exams.
The FIRs were registered for allegedly obstructing government work and clashing with police, according to the PTI report. The student leaders had accused the state government of “deceiving” job aspirants after the high court stayed some notifications cancelling appointments through the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations and the JSSC-CGL.
One FIR lodged by police, other two complaints by individuals
One of the three FIRs was lodged by police against alleged miscreants for obstructing government duty and violating route-chart norms, another official said. Meanwhile, the other two were filed on the basis of complaints made by individuals, PTI reported.
This comes after a scuffle broke out Friday after protesters attempted to burn effigies of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, officials said. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party workers in the state also disrupted a statewide effigy-burning campaign organised by students, leading to clashes in at least four district headquarters in the state. Apart from Ranchi, clashes also took place in Hazaribag, Giridh and Garhwa, along with police lathicharge in Hazaribag.
Kotwali police station officer in-charge Sanoj Choudhary said the scuffle took place because protesters had not followed the route provided by the district administration. On the other hand, Reforms Manch leader Kunal Singh alleged that JMM workers created violence.
The HC had on Friday stayed notifications cancelling the appointments of Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and those recruited through the JSSC-CGL examination. A day earlier, it had stayed notifications cancelling the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations, and also stayed the order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers.
The HC's intervention came less than 24 hours after the JMM-led government had yielded to the 26-day students' protest in the state, with the aspirants demanding the cancellation of examinations. However, the Reforms Manch accused the Jharkhand government of enacting a “legal drama” and presenting a weak defence in court.
(With inputs from Raj Kumar)
