A Congress march against the alleged NEET paper leak and police action on protesting students turned into a political street showdown in Ranchi on Thursday. BJP and Congress workers confronted each other outside the BJP state headquarters, hurling eggs, tomatoes and stones while police struggled to keep the rival groups apart.
The clash occurred a day after BJP workers protested outside the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee office over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination, underscoring the escalating political battle over recruitment examinations and paper leaks.
Thousands of Congress workers, led by Ranchi Metropolitan Congress Committee president Kumar Raja and Ranchi Rural Congress Committee president Somnath Munda, marched from Harmu Ground towards the BJP office in support of three demands raised by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The party sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of FIRs against students who marched towards Parliament, and a discussion on the NEET issue in Parliament.
Police stopped the procession with barricades a short distance from the BJP office. BJP workers, who had gathered for a counter-protest, also attempted to move towards the Congress march but were restrained by another police cordon. As slogans grew louder, eggs, tomatoes and stones were hurled across the barricades, briefly raising tensions before police restored order.
The Congress alleged that BJP supporters attempted to disrupt what it described as a peaceful protest by pelting stones, eggs and tomatoes. State Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti accused the BJP of orchestrating the violence and alleged that Congress workers were attacked with stones, sticks and glass bottles.
The BJP rejected the allegations, accusing the Congress of provoking the clash. State BJP president Aditya Sahu alleged that Congress workers, aided by “anti-social elements,” resorted to stone-pelting, leaving several BJP workers injured. He said the party would lodge an FIR over the incident.
Addressing a separate press conference, Sahu renewed the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in JPSC, JSSC and other recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, describing the ongoing CID inquiry as an eyewash. The Congress, meanwhile, accused the BJP of trying to divert attention from alleged paper leak cases at the national level and reiterated its demand for Pradhan’s resignation.
Heavy police deployment prevented the confrontation from escalating further, although the exchange of political accusations continued after the protesters dispersed.