Jharkhand student protest: Jharkhand BJP calls for bandh tomorrow over police crackdown against protesting aspirants

BJP State President Aditya Sahu announced the Jharkhand bandh on August 11 during a joint press conference held at the State party office alongside the Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Jharkhand BJP, on Monday (August 10, 2026), announced a ‘Jharkhand bandh’ (statewide shutdown) on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) in protest against the lathi-charge on students by the Hemant government.BJP State President Aditya Sahu made this announcement during a joint press conference held at the State party office alongside the Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi.Mr. Sahu said that the Jharkhand bandh would commence at 8:00 a.m. and during the bandh, the entire State of Jharkhand would come to a standstill; only essential services would remain operational. He added that Kanwariyas (pilgrims) will face no inconvenience and also appealed to party workers to extend their full cooperation to them.“For the past 17 days, students had been trying to wake the State government and demanding a CBI inquiry into all recruitment exams held over the last seven years, including the 14th JPSC Preliminary Exam. However, the Hemant government adopted a repressive attitude,” Mr. Sahu said.He further said, “The BJP strongly condemns this. The State government treated the students like criminals, subjecting them to lathi charges. Students were beaten even as late as 9:00 p.m. Hundreds of students were injured, and there are reports of several students going missing. The dictatorial attitude of the Hemant government running with Congress support—will not be tolerated.”Mr. Marandi described the action taken against the students as barbaric, noting that this is not the first instance of such treatment.He also claimed that the CID’s arrest of former JPSC Chairman L. Khiangte was merely an eyewash.On the other hand, despite the use of tear gas and lathi-charge on the protesting students, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday (August 10, 2026) extended his heartfelt thanks to all the police officials for handling the situation during Jharkhand Assembly march with sensitivity and responsibility.Posting a message on X, Mr. Soren while addressing the youths, said, “You have raised your voice for your demands in a peaceful manner. In a democracy, it is your right to express your views, and it is the government’s responsibility to respect your voice.”He further wrote, “The government has heard you. Our senior Ministers have been in constant dialogue with you, and I assure you that action will be taken on your demands with utmost seriousness and sensitivity. In the past few days, you have seen that the government has spared no one, no matter who the guilty party is. Our clear objective is to eliminate such shortcomings in the system so that no student has to face trouble in the future.”Mr. Soren pointed out that the government wants to make the examination system more transparent, technology-enabled, secure, and accountable.“Your participation in this change is the most important. Our effort is that Jharkhand should not just discuss problems, but set a new example of solutions. I also understand that amidst your peaceful movement, some people from the opposition have tried to spoil the atmosphere and mislead students for political gain,”Mr. Soren said.आज के छात्र आंदोलन के दौरान संयम, संवेदनशीलता और पूरी जिम्मेदारी के साथ स्थिति को संभालने के लिए प्रशासन और पुलिस के सभी अधिकारियों एवं जवानों का मैं धन्यवाद करता हूं।मेरे प्यारे युवा साथियों,आपने अपनी मांगों को लेकर शांतिपूर्ण तरीके से अपनी आवाज़ उठाई। लोकतंत्र में अपनी बात…— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) August 10, 2026He appealed to the students not to fall into the trap of any political narrative, asserting that students are the future of Jharkhand.“It is not about ignoring your voice, but listening to it and resolving your problems; that is our responsibility. I will reiterate my point: let us resolve this issue together through dialogue and trust,” Mr. Soren wrote in the post. Published - August 10, 2026 11:01 pm IST