3 FIRs filed against 28 named, 900 unnamed people over police-students clashes in Giridih, Hazaribag

Three FIRs have been registered against 28 named individuals and more than 900 unidentified people in connection with clashes between police and protesting job aspirants in Jharkhand's Giridih and Hazaribag districts, officials said on Sunday.

The development comes a day after three separate FIRs were lodged at Ranchi's Kotwali police station against 14 named and around 200 unidentified people for allegedly obstructing government work and clashing with police there.

In Giridih, two FIRs were registered at the Town police station over clashes that took place on Friday and Saturday, while a third was filed in Hazaribag for allegedly obstructing government work and assaulting police personnel, officials said. The unrest traces back to Friday, when thousands of students protesting alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment examinations gathered at Gandhi Maidan to burn an effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, leading to a scuffle between protesters and police.

In Hazaribag, an FIR was registered at Korra police station against 18 named accused and roughly 700 unidentified people for allegedly obstructing government work and assaulting policemen while attempting to burn Soren's effigy on August 21, Hazaribag Sadar DSP Rupak Kumar Singh told PTI. "We lodged the FIR based on the application of Sadar Circle Officer Ashutosh Kumar," he said. Korra police station's officer-in-charge, Nemdhari Rajak, said no arrests or detentions have been made so far in this case, though police are examining CCTV and video footage to identify those involved. He added that eight personnel were injured in the clashes, including four sub-inspectors serving as officers-in-charge at the Korra, Lohsinghna, Sadar and Bada Bazar police stations. The accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for assaulting police, obstructing government staffers and unlawful assembly, Rajak said.

In Giridih, the first FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by ABVP activist Anish Rai, while the second followed an application from Sadar Circle Inspector Manoj Kumar Singh. According to the officer-in-charge of Giridih Town police station, the first FIR names 11 accused, including the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) district president Sanjay Singh, along with 20 unidentified people, while the second names around 10 accused and roughly 200 unidentified individuals. "The accused have been booked for alleged attempt to halt traffic at five locations, clash with the police for trying to burn effigy of the CM and using abusive language against him," the officer said.

Meanwhile, leaders of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch alleged that the government was harassing protesters, pointing out that several members find their names listed in FIRs filed both in Ranchi and Hazaribag despite the two locations being far apart. "The FIRs in Ranchi and Hazaribag name Kunal Prata Singh, Ravindra Prasad and me... How can we be present at both the places simultaneously," questioned Piyush Kumar Singh, one of the named accused.

Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, demanded that the state government withdraw the FIRs against students. "If the government fails to recall FIRs, youths should not be afraid of jail... fill up the jails," he told reporters. Separately, former JNU students' union president and Students Federation of India (SFI) national joint secretary Aishe Ghosh condemned the FIRs, calling the students' demands legitimate. "We condemn any form of brutality and atrocity on students in Jharkhand... There is always room for dialogue. FIRs and intimidation against the student community should not happen," Ghosh told PTI during an SFI-led march.

The state police, meanwhile, issued an advisory on Sunday stating that organisers must obtain advance permission for dharnas, demonstrations, processions, rallies and public meetings held in public spaces, and follow due procedure. Police also appealed to students and the general public not to pay heed to rumours.

Student leaders have accused the state government of "deceiving" and "betraying" job aspirants after the Jharkhand High Court stayed certain notifications cancelling appointments made through the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations and the JSSC-CGL recruitment process. The high court stayed notifications cancelling the appointments of Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and those recruited via the JSSC-CGL exam on Friday, having earlier stayed, on Thursday, the notifications cancelling the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations as well as the order cancelling appointments of food safety officers.

(With inputs from PTI)