NEW DELHI: A scuffle broke out in Ranchi between student protesters and police following an attempt to burn effigies of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.“They gathered in large numbers at the prominent Albert Chowk to burn effigies of CM Soren and Rahul Gandhi. When the police tried to control them, a scuffle broke out. JMM workers were also present at the spot,” an official told news agency PTI.This comes a day after the Jharkhand high court stayed the government’s decision to cancel public recruitment examinations after irregularities were flagged.In a social media post on X, Bharatiya Janata Party shared a video of the scuffle and accused “JMM and Congress goons” of attacking the protesters in the presence of police.“It is extremely unfortunate that students en route to a peaceful effigy burning in Ranchi were attacked by JMM and Congress goons in the presence of the police, and this constitutes an attempt to murder democracy,” BJP’s Jharkhand unit said.“Even little girls were not spared; in the absence of female police personnel, brutality was inflicted upon them by JMM goons and the police,” it added.The Jharkhand High Court on August 20 stayed the state government’s order cancelling the appointment of government employees recruited through the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations.On August 18, the Jharkhand government had issued a notification cancelling 22 recruitment examinations, including the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations, after weeks of public protests over alleged irregularities.The court’s order came while hearing various petitions filed by the newly appointed officers against the government’s decision.

Meanwhile, student leaders alleged that the Jharkhand government did not defend the case strongly in court.JLKM student leader Devendra Nath Mahto said, “When the court asked the government to present its side in the matter, why did their Advocate General not appear on the first day itself and why did the government not strongly present its CID investigation? This has hurt the students and the general public of the state.”Mahto, who had agitated under the banner of JPSC/JSSC Abhyarthi Nyaya Manch, had been on a 16-day hunger strike, which he ended at midnight on Monday, a day after the government decided to cancel several recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC, JSSC and a private agency.