Ranchi protesters lathi-charged, tear-gassed, JPSC ex-chief arrested

Tensions escalated in Ranchi on Monday as police used lathi-charge and water cannons to stop student protesters marching towards the Jharkhand Assembly over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.Security personnel fired tear gas shells as student protesters continued to march towards the Jharkhand Assembly.The protesters broke through multiple barricades despite increased security around the Assembly, where the Monsoon Session is currently underway.

Ranchi, Jharkhand: Security personnel lathi-charge protesting students to disperse them pic.twitter.com/q2c2nsL0Ib

— IANS (@ians_india) August 10, 2026

Gaurav Goswami, SP Rural, Ranchi said that mild lathi charge was used when some of the students attempted to reach the last barricading where Section 163 is in effect.Thousands of the students had arrived in the state capital from several districts on Monday morning in large numbers by trains, buses, and other vehicles to participate in the demonstration. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato said, "When Govt put up spiked barricading, despite not being well I could not stop myself. Is this Pakistan, Bangladesh or China border? These are students." Devendra Nath Mahto also joined 'Vidhan Sabha gherao' march of protesting students.

#WATCH | JPSC-JSSC aspirants' protest in Ranchi (Jharkhand) | Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto joins 'Vidhan Sabha gherao' march of protesting students.

He has been on a hunger strike at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, the main protest site, for the past 9 days. pic.twitter.com/3KAOx0qaTm

— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) MLA Jairam Kumar Mahato says, "A message to Police of Jharkhand - try to cooperate with the students of Jharkhand because this is a peaceful protest." On lathi charge on students, he ays, "This is not good. This is a completely peaceful protest, so how can you use lathi?"

#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: Amid student protest in Ranchi, Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) MLA Jairam Kumar Mahato says, "A message to Police of Jharkhand - try to cooperate with the students of Jharkhand because this is a peaceful protest."

On lathi charge on… pic.twitter.com/sY9jzSUsp6

— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

The Jharkhand CID on Monday arrested former Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) chairperson L Khiangte in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, a senior official of the state probe agency said. Khiangte, who was appointed JPSC chairperson in February last year, resigned from the post on July 22. He had taken charge of the commission after retiring as Jharkhand's chief secretary. Three of its members also resigned after summons by the CID over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in recruitment tests.

The BJP on Monday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his party's "double standards" on the ongoing student protest in Jharkhand, saying those who tried to "politically hijack" the students' agitation in Delhi are now silent on the stir in the state.Speaking to reporters in Parliament House complex, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said, "Those who were trying till the end to politically hijack the students' movement in Delhi, who were restless, sometimes sitting in buses and sometimes taking out foot marches, where are those so-called leaders now?" He alleged that Rahul Gandhi has no time to listen to the students as Jharkhand has a government headed by a party that is an alliance partner of the Congress.