J'khand BJP calls statewide bandh over police action on student protest

The Jharkhand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a statewide bandh on Tuesday,in protest against police action against JPSC-JSSC job aspirants during their march towards the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday.

#WATCH | JPSC-JSSC aspirants' protest in Ranchi | Jharkhand BJP has called for a statewide bandh today, protesting the police action against students during the JPSC-JSSC protest in Ranchi yesterday.

Visuals from Kishore Ganj Chowk, Ranchi pic.twitter.com/hUnmYXQnAr

— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2026

According to agency sources,the BJP accused the Hemant Soren-led government of using excessive force against the protesting students, alleging that hundreds of aspirants were injured during the police lathicharge.The agitation, which has now entered its 17th day, escalated on Monday when protesters attempting to march towards the Assembly breached multiple barricades. Police responded by using water cannons, tear gas and lathicharge to disperse the demonstrators.BJP state president Aditya Sahu criticised the government over the action and alleged that the administration had used disproportionate force against students demanding reforms in the state’s recruitment system.

#WATCH | JPSC-JSSC aspirants' protest in Ranchi | Jharkhand BJP President Aditya Sahu says, "The police personnel should be invited and awarded medals, honored, for the way they handled the situation involving the children of Jharkhand. Hundreds of children are currently injured… pic.twitter.com/izJDir7rjs

— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

Former MP and BJP state vice president Sunil Soren also backed the protesters and accused the administration of suppressing a peaceful democratic demonstration.“Yesterday, the students staged a protest to lay siege to the Legislative Assembly in a completely democratic and peaceful manner. Yet, the administration responded at night with a brutal lathi-charge,” Soren said.He said the BJP had called the one-day statewide shutdown in response to the police action and said the party was enforcing the bandh in Dumka on Tuesday.“If Hemant Soren possesses even a shred of morality, he should resign,” Soren said, drawing a comparison with the opposition’s earlier demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on moral grounds.

#WATCH | Dumka, Jharkhand: BJP workers enforce Jharkhand bandh over alleged irregularities in recruitment exams.

Former MP and BJP State Vice President, Sunil Soren, says, “Yesterday, the students staged a protest to lay siege to the Legislative Assembly in a completely… pic.twitter.com/ng2mwOdflp

— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2026

He further accused the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress of adopting a different position when faced with similar demands in the state.“The BJP has always stood and will continue to stand firmly in support of the students' interests,” Soren said.
Meanwhile,JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who had been on a nine-day hunger strike, also joined the students’ march in an ambulance despite his deteriorating health.Mahto had reportedly lost around 10.5 kg during the hunger strike. Following the march, his health condition worsened and he was admitted to a hospital in Ranchi for treatment.The students’ agitation has continued for 17 days, with protesters demanding the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, an independent probe into alleged irregularities and broader reforms in the functioning of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).