Scores of student protestors took to the streets of Jharkhand on Monday, dancing and singing even as police deployed water cannons in a bid to disperse them during a march towards the state assembly, where they had been heading to voice their demands. The dramatic scenes ensued as the students’ agitation over alleged irregularities in exams conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) entered their 17th day.

Defying the barricades, heavy police deployment and water cannons, the protestors pressed ahead with their ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march.

JKLM leader Mahto too joins protest in ambulance

As cops used water jets to push back the swarm, several protestors responded by breaking into dance and song. The unusual display of defiance came after 16 days of demonstrations and protests over alleged irregularities in JPSC exams.

The protestors crossed 3 layers of barricading as they tried to advance towards the Assembly. The JPSC-JSSC Reform Morcha had organised the march, demanding action over alleged irregularities in state-level examinations, as well as a CBI probe into the incident.

Meanwhile, leader of the Jharkhand Loktrantik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM) Devendra Nath Mahto too joined the march. He participated in the protest in an ambulance, carrying the portrait of Jharkhand’s former Chief Minister (CM) Shibu Soren.

Interacting with the protestors, Mahto said the government would have to listen to their demands and asserted that barricades would not deter them. He said, “Despite being on hunger strike, the barbed wires will not be able to stop us. I came here in an ambulance. The government will have to listen to us.”

“Am no God or Messiah”: Mahto

Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for the past 9 days at the Jaipal Singh Munda stadium in Ranchi, urged the demonstrators and the general public not to portray him as a hero. He opined, “I am no God or messiah; I am a common man. There will be no change in my personal life.” He then warned the government against allowing the situation to escalate into violence.

Mahto cautions against bloodshed

Underlining that Monday was Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s birthday, Mahto pleaded with the state government not to take steps which could trigger an unfortunate incident similar to those witnessed during agitations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

He emphasised, “Do not do anything that causes someone to bleed or get injured and makes the crowd even more agitated,” adding that while arrest was a legal process, there should be no bloodshed. He went on to say, “If the government does not agree to the demands, it will be remembered as the one which killed democracy. I will not end the fast.”

Meanwhile, the student protests in the state resulted in a significant development on Monday, as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the alleged irregularities in the exams held by JPSC.