Police on Thursday afternoon resorted to lathicharge on girl students willing to meet Health Minister Banna Gupta at Dhanbad collectorate. These are students of intermediate who are on a stir path for the last four days for betterment of their results that was published by the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC).
Most of them were declared fail by JAC and since the results were published these students of different colleges including SSLNT women’s college launched a stir with a road blockade outside college demanding betterment of results.
The Deputy Commissioner had assured of taking action on their demand about three days ago but the girls were not in mood to relent and had started a dharna near Randhir Verma square with their demands.
When they came to know that Health Minister Banna Gupta who also is Minister-in-charge of Dhambad was holding a meeting at Dhanbad collectorate they marched from the dharna place to the collectorate and reached near the meeting hall where the Minister was presiding a meeting related to district development plan.
The girls started shouting slogans demanding the minister to come out and talk to them on their demand of betterment of result.
However, police team led by SDM Surendar Kumar opened lathicharge on the girls to disperse the mob. Some girls fainted and some received injuries due to the incident. Police arrested several of them and took them to Dhanbad sadar police station.
The SDM claimed that girls were trying to disturb by breaking in the ongoing meeting, thus action was taken to maintain law and order.
Though all happened inside the collectorate building the minister didn’t come out to meet the agitating girls who wanted justice for themselves.
Minister for Health Banna Gupta has expressed deep concern over the incident. Talking to media persons at Circuit house he said he would request Chief Minister Hemant Soren for holding an enquiry into the incident besides for the grievances of the students. HE termed the lathicharge on girls as a barbaric incident and could have been avoided.