Jharkhand Student Protest LIVE: Chaos Outside Assembly As Protesters Enter Premises; Rahul Gandhi Extends Support

Jharkhand Students Protest: The students protesting against the alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitment exams, on Monday, faced a lathi charge and tear gas shells during their march towards the Jharkhand Assembly in the state capital, Ranchi. Several protesters have sustained injuries during the police action to stop their "Vidhan Sabha Gherao" march. The protesters, braving water cannons, lathis and tear gas shells, have now closed in on Assembly premises, prompting the Jharkhand Speaker to adjourn the Vidhan Sabha proceedings. 

Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato also joined the Vidhan Sabha Gherao march, reaching the protest site on a stretcher. Mahato has been on a hunger strike for the last seven days, demanding reforms in the JPSC and JSSC. The protesters have been demanding a CBI-led probe into the alleged irregularities and cancellation of the recently conducted JPSC exam.  

Tight security arrangements have been made in the capital, Ranchi, in view of the students' "Vidhan Sabha siege". The Ranchi district administration has imposed Section 163 (formerly Section 144) of the Indian Civil Procedure Code (CPC) within a 750-metre radius of the newly constructed Vidhan Sabha complex.