Jharkhand: Students Detained Amid Protest Outside CM Residence In Ranchi Against New Recruitment Policy

Several students who were protesting against the new recruitment policy near the Chief Minister's residence in Ranchi have been detained by the Jharkhand Police.

Section 144 imposed around Jharkhand CM's residence. ( Image Source :ANI )

Jharkhand Police has detained several students who were protesting against the new recruitment policy near the Chief Minister's residence in Ranchi. The police took action to maintain law and order in the area. Sudhanshu Jain, SP City Ranchi confirmed ABP Live about the detention of students. "The situation in the area is now normal, as the students protesting against the new recruitment policy have moved to Morabadi ground and are protesting peacefully," said SP City Ranchi.

The new recruitment policy reserves 60% of seats for aspirants from the state, while the remaining seats are unreserved.

Under the new policy, the government had reserved 100% of grade III and IV jobs for local residents in 13 out of the 14 districts falling under Schedule V of the constitution. This provision is meant to protect the rights of the tribal communities.

The Jharkhand State Students' Union organized the protest after the state cabinet amended various rules of the Jharkhand State Selection Commission (JSSC) exams on March 3. The state government had conducted a survey among 7.34 lakh job aspirants in the state, seeking support for implementing the recruitment policy that existed before 2016, which led to the protest.

According to the government, out of the 7.34 lakh students surveyed, 73 percent expressed their preference for the urgent resumption of the recruitment policy that was in place before 2016. Around 16% of the respondents favored starting the recruitment process after introducing a new policy, while 11% remained undecided.

The office of CM Soren stated that the government was seeking constitutional immunity through Schedule IX in order to enforce a recruitment policy based on the 1932 Khatiyan (land records) and provide 27% reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBC). However, the bill was returned by the state governor, and in 2020, the Jharkhand High Court invalidated the 2016 recruitment policy. Subsequently, a survey was conducted using chatbot-based calling services.