- Police used water cannons to disperse student protesters near Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha in Ranchi today
- Students danced and cheered even as water jets were directed at them during the protest
- Protesters demanded cancellation of JPSC and JSSC-CGL exams and a CBI probe into irregularities
As police water cannons sprayed across a crowd of protesting students in Jharkhand's Ranchi today, some of the demonstrators responded in an unexpected way: they danced.
In videos from the protest site, students can be seen cheering and dancing even as water cannons were used to stop their march towards the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha. Jharkhand Police used water cannons against student protesters who were trying to push through barricades during the Vidhan Sabha Gherao march.
The protest was organised by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Morcha over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examinations and recruitment process.
A large number of students gathered near the Vidhan Sabha in Ranchi to take part in the march. As protesters moved towards the Assembly, police deployed barricades and later used water cannons to disperse the crowd.
However, the action failed to stop some students, who were seen dancing as water jets were directed at them. One of the most striking moments from the protest showed a student climbing onto a police barricade and dancing while the water cannon operation continued nearby.
The scenes were reminiscent of the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Patna, Bihar, where demonstrators reacted to police action in a similarly unexpected manner. Videos from the protest showed students dancing under water cannons, riding atop police barricades and even joking with police personnel as authorities attempted to disperse them.
The protest witnessed heavy police deployment across Ranchi, while several BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and BJP state president Aditya Sahu, were detained while demonstrating outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence.
Student protesters gathered at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, many of them wearing "VOLUNTEER" T-shirts, before beginning their march towards the Assembly. The agitation, which has now entered its 17th day, is being led by students demanding the cancellation of certain recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and the JSSC, along with a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities.
JPSC protest leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike, left for the Assembly in an ambulance amid the ongoing protest march. He joined the march and was seen being carried on a stretcher by his supporters.
