Ranchi: Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and BJP attempted to gherao the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee office here on Wednesday.
Police stopped them before they could reach the main gate, leading to a scuffle and a prolonged standoff outside the Congress office.
The BJP workers raised slogans against the state government and the Congress leadership.
Anticipating the protest, police had set up barricades on the route. Protesters allegedly tried to break through the barricades and enter the premises, but security personnel prevented them from reaching the main gate. This resulted in a brief period of pushing and jostling between the demonstrators and the police.
As BJP workers shouted slogans against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, hundreds of Congress leaders and supporters stationed inside the party office responded with slogans targeting BJP leaders and the Central government. The exchange of slogans from both sides heightened tensions in the area.
In view of the situation, additional police personnel were deployed in and around the Congress office. Several senior police officers remained on the spot, and security arrangements were tightened to maintain law and order.
Police attempted to keep workers of both parties from confronting each other directly, although slogan-shouting continued for some time.
Earlier in the day, BJYM workers had assembled at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium before marching to the JPSC headquarters, where they staged a protest. During the demonstration, protesters breached police barricades and attempted to reach the commission’s main gate. Police, however, intervened, leading to another confrontation and a tense situation.
BJP protesters alleged serious irregularities in the results and cut-off process of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Examination. They claimed that the controversy had raised questions about the transparency of recruitment processes in the state and jeopardised the future of deserving aspirants.
The protesters reiterated their demand for an impartial inquiry into the examination process, action against those responsible, and justice for candidates.
Outside the Congress office, BJP leaders accused the state government and the Congress of attempting to divert public attention from alleged recruitment scams and corruption-related issues. Congress leaders, however, dismissed the protest as a political stunt, asserting that the inquiry process was already underway and alleging that the Opposition was trying to derive political mileage from the issue.
The situation outside the Congress office remained tense but under control. According to police officials, security arrangements across the area had been strengthened, with additional forces deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
(IANS)
