The CID arrested former JPSC Chairperson L Khiangte on Monday amid the ongoing JPSC‑JSSC protests in Ranchi, intensifying the agitation over alleged recruitment exam irregularities.
Khiangte, questioned four times since July 28, was taken into custody as part of the CID’s probe into the recruitment scam. So far, 19 people have been arrested in connection with the case.
The arrest coincided with a massive protest march by thousands of job aspirants, who rallied to the state assembly demanding a CBI investigation into the JSSC‑CGL exam and broader reforms in both JPSC and JSSC.
The march, held on Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s 51st birthday, began outside the old assembly building and saw demonstrators breach multiple barricades despite heavy security. Police deployed water cannons and a mild lathi charge near Jagannathpur Temple to control the crowd, leading to injuries among several protesters.
Placards carried by students read “Cancel JSSC‑CGL Exams or Conduct a CBI Probe” and “Conduct an impartial investigation, bring out the truth.” JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, on a fast for nine days, joined the march in an ambulance, symbolically carrying a portrait of former CM Shibu Soren.
The JPSC‑JSSC Reforms Manch, spearheading the agitation, said it had deployed 500 volunteers to prevent anti‑social elements from infiltrating the protest.
While the government claims to have accepted 98% of the demonstrators’ demands, protesters insist only three of the 13 exams they wanted scrapped have been cancelled, keeping the deadlock alive.
