RANCHI, August 10: Security forces on Monday chased away student protesters from the Jharkhand Assembly premises after hundreds of agitators entered the area, forcing the House to be adjourned. The visuals showed police personnel pushing back protesters from the Assembly complex.

Earlier in the day, student protesters, who were resisting a police lathi-charge and tear gas, managed to enter the Assembly premises during their ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao March’. Reports said several protesters and police personnel were injured in the clashes.

Students across Jharkhand have been protesting alleged irregularities in examinations conducted for state government jobs. They have demanded a CBI probe into the alleged discrepancies.

Amid the escalating political controversy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the use of force against the protesting students and urged the JMM-led Jharkhand government to resolve the matter immediately. His remarks came as several BJP MPs criticised him for raising the concerns of NEET aspirants in Parliament while, according to them, remaining silent on student protests in states governed by INDIA bloc allies.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested former Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) chairman L Khiangte in connection with the alleged examination irregularities.

The protest came a day after the Jharkhand government agreed to cancel three examinations, including the preliminary examination of the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination. The government also agreed to the protesters’ demand for an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into alleged financial irregularities linked to the examination.

Student leader Ravindra Paswan said the protesters had been demonstrating peacefully throughout the day as part of the Assembly gherao programme. He alleged that police resorted to force after the protesters gathered near the Assembly.

“Lakhs of students are on the streets, and it is the government’s moral responsibility to listen to their demands. Instead, as darkness fell, the entire area was turned into a police camp and lathis were used against us,” Paswan said.

He further alleged that several protesters were detained and separated from the group while others were beaten by police.

“The people of Jharkhand will not tolerate this. The movement will intensify. Today, we are announcing that this student movement has now become a people’s movement,” Paswan said.