India police fire tear gas at protesters seeking exam reforms

Police in India have fired tear gas shells on protesters demanding reforms to recruitment exams in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

Thousands of students, job seekers and volunteers have been trying to reach the state's assembly in the capital city of Ranchi to register their protest.

The BBC has seen some people who have sustained injuries, though the official number of injured is unclear.

The protesters have been demonstrating for over two weeks now, demanding an overhaul of Jharkhand's government exam system.

On Monday, many attempted to breach police barricades, causing police to use water cannons, batons and tear gas to try and disperse crowds, officials say.

Ranchi City Superintendent of Police Paras Rana told ANI news agency that most protesters had been peaceful, but accused a smaller group of breaking through barricades and throwing stones at officers. He said three policemen had been injured.

"About 90% of the students are peaceful, but there are some who are not listening even to their own representatives," he said.

Rana said police had shown restraint and used "minimal force for a very short time" because the protesters were students. He appealed to them to remain peaceful, saying their demands were reaching the government.

The protest comes weeks after thousands of young Indians attempted to march to the national parliament in Delhi, amid the massive "cockroach" protests over exam paper leaks.

India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) - which is not a political party - called off its five-week-long protest on 25 July after education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

The CJP had attracted support from students based in different states of the country.

Meanwhile in Ranchi, visuals from the state capital show thousands of protesters, police as well as media personnel on the streets, amid tightened security arrangements.

Despite police efforts to disperse them, large crowds remain at the site.

Protesters in Jharkhand have been gathered at a stadium in Ranchi since 25 July - some have been sleeping in the open and several have gone on hunger strike.

Even after multiple rounds of talks and the government accepting several demands, protesters say the agitation will continue until all their demands are met.

The immediate cause of the anger is a preliminary civil service exam held by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) in April.

After the results were announced in July, candidates alleged that leaked answer sheets shared on social media showed some successful applicants had answered far fewer questions than expected.

This fuelled suspicions that the results had been manipulated.

The state government has assured students that they will get justice. The allegations around the exam are being investigated by Jharkhand's Criminal Investigation Department (CID). More than a dozen people have been arrested.

Investigators are also examining the role of a private company that conducted parts of the exam process after candidates raised questions about how it was selected.

After talks with protesters on Sunday, the government agreed to cancel the exam in question, along with two others. Three JPSC members also reportedly resigned.

This came after JPSC chairman L Khiangte stepped down on 22 July. He was questioned in the investigation and arrested on Monday.

But protesters say several demands remain unmet, chief among them an investigation into the irregularities by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's premier federal investigative agency.

Unlike the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests, which emerged outside party politics, the Ranchi agitation has drawn strong political backing.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , which is in opposition in Jharkhand, has backed the protesters, staged demonstrations, raised the issue in the state assembly and demanded a federal investigation. Congress, a partner in the state government but the BJP's national rival, has also expressed support for the students.

On Sunday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is the head of the regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party, alleged that vested interests were trying to disrupt democracy in the state. He warned that the protesters' agitation should not be politicised and also reiterated his promise to take action to deliver justice.

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