Govt has invited chaos: Student activist fasting for 9 days joins Jharkhand march

Devendra Nath Mahto made the remarks as he joined the planned march, despite purportedly losing 10.5 kg of body weight. He was seen carrying a portrait of Hemant Soren's late father and former chief minister, Shibu Soren.

In Short

• Devendra Nath Mahto joins protest march despite hunger strike
• Protesters breach multiple barricades as water cannons used
• Barricades wrapped in barbed wires set up to stop marching protesters

Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a fast in Ranchi for the past nine days over alleged irregularities in public recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, on Monday said the Hemant Soren-led government wants chaos, referring to the stringent preventive measures taken to stop thousands of protesting students marching towards the state Assembly.

The activist made the remarks as he joined the planned march, despite purportedly losing 10.5 kg of body weight. He was seen carrying a portrait of Hemant Soren's late father and former chief minister, Shibu Soren. Mahto reached to join the Assembly-bound protesters in an ambulance.

After he arrived, Mahto's supporters lifted him onto a mattress and carried him on their shoulders through the protest march.

"The government has invited chaos. I could not stop myself from coming here with others... What hurt my heart the most was not the hunger strike, but the barbed wire that have been put up to stop us. Why does the government want chaos?" he said.

The march, which coincided with the 51st birthday of CM Hemant Soren, began from outside the old assembly complex in Dhurwa, and the demonstrators aimed to reach the new Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) building.

BARRICADES WITH BARBED WIRES

Multiple layers of barricades wrapped in barbed wires have been set up by the administration to prevent the protesters from reaching the Assembly building. According to officials, more than 1,500 personnel from the Rapid Action Force, Indian Reserve Battalion, district police and QRT have also been deployed.

Water canons were also used on the agitators during the march. However, waves of protesters managed to breach the barricades layer-by-layer as they advanced towards the Assembly complex. At least one instance of mild lathicharge also took place as protesters attempted to breach barricades near the Assembly building.

Armed with tricolours and placards, the demonstrators broke into dance as police used water cannons when they reached the final barricade near Jagannathpur Temple on the road to the new Assembly complex.

The march came after several rounds of talks with the state government failed to yield a breakthrough. After the last round of deliberations, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government said it had accepted 98 per cent of the demands of the demonstrators.

However, the protesters said the government had agreed to cancel only three of the 13 exams they wanted to be scrapped. "We will not compromise till our demand for a CBI probe is fulfilled," Ravindra Paswan, associated with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, the outfit spearheading the protest, said.

The central demands raised by the protesters include comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

They are also seeking cancellation of several recruitment tests, including the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination, and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities, either by the CBI or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.

THREE JPSC MEMBERS RESIGN

Amid the protests and allegations, three JPSC members resigned on Sunday.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar accepted the resignations of Ajeeta Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmad, according to a statement issued by the Lok Bhavan.

The resignations came after the Jharkhand CID summoned all three members for questioning in connection with allegations including paper leaks.

Bhattacharya, the wife of JMM leader Supriyo Bhattacharyya, is scheduled to be questioned on August 10, Ahmad on August 12 and Hansda on August 14.

- Ends
(With inputs from Ashutosh Mishra, agencies)