Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday slammed the police action on students protesting in Ranchi against alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand and said it was a repeat of what happened in Delhi last month.
Talking to reporters in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he asserted that students are fighting for their rights and not for a vote bank, and wondered why only agitating students and youngsters face police crackdowns and not workers of political parties.
''What happened in Jharkhand yesterday was too bad. We saw the same thing happening earlier at Jantar Mantar (Delhi on July 20). Lathis and tear gas were used (against agitating students in the national capital during the 'Sansad Chalo' march). I don't understand why lathis and tear gas are not used when political parties protest. Why they are used only against students?'' he asked.
The protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET exam paper leak was spearheaded by the CJP.
{{/usCountry}}The protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET exam paper leak was spearheaded by the CJP.
{{/usCountry}}Dipke asserted that students are fighting only for their rights and still facing police action.
''I had a word with Devendra Mahto, who is leading this agitation (in Ranchi). He has been fasting for nine days, and still the police used lathis on him. Governments in this country, whether in Jharkhand or anywhere else, should think what they are getting by doing such injustice to students who are fighting for their future and not any vote bank,'' he stated.
"Brutality on students should not take place anywhere," the 30-year-old activist insisted.
The Jharkhand crackdown
Thousands of job aspirants marched towards the Jharkhand assembly, breached multiple barricades and clashed with the police personnel on Monday. The police used water cannons near Jagannathpur Temple and fired tear gas shells as protesters moved towards the assembly.
Several protesters claimed they were injured, while Ranchi police said 14 policemen suffered injuries during the protests.
The students and job aspirants have been agitating since July 25, demanding transparency in recruitment examinations, reforms in the functioning of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission, cancellation of several examinations and an independent investigation by the CBI or a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.
Chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday lashed out at the opposition BJP, accusing its leaders of trying to mislead protesting job aspirants for political gains.
Soren, in a social media post, also appealed to the protesters to resolve their grievances through dialogue and trust.
State BJP president Aditya Sahu launched a sharp attack on the Hemant Soren-led government over the police action during the protest, alleging that hundreds of students were injured in the lathicharge and announcing support for the party's call for a 'statewide bandh' on Tuesday.