Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 10 : BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo on Monday warned the JMM-led Jharkhand government against police action on student protesters amid heightened security during the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations.
Speaking to ANI, Deo, while urging Chief Minister Hemant Soren to accept the demands of the protesters, also alleged that the party MP Aditya Sahu was under house arrest.
He said, "Today is Chief Minister Hemant Soren's birthday. The students and their parents have already given you a birthday gift by bringing you back to power. Today is the time for a return gift; you should fulfil the demands of the students, who are asking for cancelling the exams conducted by TDPL, an outsourcing agency under question. You are not cancelling the exam and running away from a CBI probe. ED has probably filed an ECIR and begun the investigation."
"And the arrangements that you have made on roads today; these are students. You have put up barbed wires, deployed RAF with pellet guns, and our MP Aditya Sahu is under house arrest. Are you trying to show a reign of terror? This is a students' protest, and we do not want to give it a political colour. If even a single lathi is raised, every Bharatiya Janata Party worker will take to the streets for defence, and you will be held responsible for the consequences," the BJP spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi is chairing a meeting of BJP MLAs in Ranchi, ahead of the march.
The protesting JPSC-JSSC aspirants have maintained that their key demands, including cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, CBI investigation into alleged irregularities, and reforms to the recruitment process, have not been fully accepted by the state government.
The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, leading the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march, has urged all students and the general public to maintain peace and adhere to constitutional norms.