The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of influencing academicians in educational institutions and using top police officials in the State for political benefits.

 JMM’s General Secretary Supriyo Bhattaracharya on Sunday expressed discontentment over Ranchi University’s Vice Chancellor Ramesh Pandey’s “Chowkidar Bano” remark at the convocation ceremony of the varsity on Saturday and accused him of trying to politically influence students before the elections.

“The incident shows how the BJP is trying to take control over educational institutions and create political opinions. We have lodged a complaint for Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violation against the Vice Chancellor,” he said.

Bhattacharya also accused the BJP of reducing postgraduate and graduate students to “Chowkidars”.

“At a time when security guards of the State have not received their salary for the past four months, the Vice Chancellor of a university is asking his students to become Chowkidar. This is disheartening,” he said.

Addressing the students of Ranchi University during the 32nd Convocation Ceremony on Saturday, Pandey said, “Chowkidar Bano.”

Opposition parties here were quick to draw political connotations of his statement

The JMM also flayed BJP workers for allegedly beating up a security guard at the party’s state headquarters in Ranchi and tried to paint it as an incident driven by hatred towards the backward caste.

“The security guard was beaten because he belongs to the backward caste,” said Bhattacharya, demanding stringent legal actions against the perpetrators in the case.

The police have lodged a named First Information Report (FIR) against three BJP workers and accused other unnamed workers in connection with the case. The case, BJP said, was under investigation and the police will take necessary actions as per the law. 

The JMM, he said, has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding removal of Jharkhand’s Director General of Police DK Pandey from his position as he has served the top rank here for over four years.

The party, which will contest the upcoming polls as a part of a grand alliance, took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ event scheduled on Sunday.

“The event aptly suits the adage Chor Machaye Shor,” said Bhattacharya.

Meanwhile, the JMM, which has its roots in Jharkhand, will field seven candidates in West Bengal and four in Bihar for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he added.