Ranchi, Sept 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand on Friday announced a phased gherao of the offices of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) in all 24 districts from September 8, saying the 48-hour ultimatum it had given the State government to withdraw police cases against protesting students had expired.
Four-day programme, six districts each day
Jharkhand BJP President Aditya Sahu, speaking at a press conference in Ranchi, said party workers would stage protests and gherao DC and SP offices across the State to press demands arising from the agitation over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
“The 48-hour ultimatum given to the State government by a high-level BJP delegation has now ended. BJP workers will now raise the students’ voices by staging protests and gherao DC and SP offices across all 24 districts over four consecutive days,” Mr. Sahu said.
The BJP said the gherao would be carried out in phases, covering six districts each day from September 8 to 11.
| Date | Districts (six per day) |
|---|---|
| Sept 8 | Ranchi, Dumka, Hazaribagh, Giridih, Jamshedpur, Garhwa |
| Sept 9 | Koderma, Sahibganj, Bokaro, Palamu, Simdega, Chaibasa |
| Sept 10 | Seraikela, Pakur, Dhanbad, Gumla, Latehar, Chatra |
| Sept 11 | Ramgarh, Deoghar, Lohardaga, Khunti, Godda, Jamtara |
Background and demands
The announcement follows a meeting on September 2 when a BJP delegation led by Mr. Sahu and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Babulal Marandi met Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar and submitted a memorandum. The party sought immediate withdrawal of FIRs lodged against students who protested alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations, and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Mr. Sahu asserted that, in his view, the treatment meted out to the students was unprecedented, saying neither in undivided Bihar nor since Jharkhand’s formation had students faced such action. He framed the gherao as the party’s way of amplifying the students’ voices.
Administrative and political implications
The planned protests will directly involve district administrations and police stations across the State. A gherao of DC and SP offices is likely to necessitate additional deployment of security personnel and could disrupt normal district-level administrative functions on the scheduled days.
Politically, the move escalates a confrontation between the State government and the main Opposition at a time when student unrest has drawn public attention. The BJP has used the episode to press for a CBI inquiry and to demand the withdrawal of cases lodged against protesters; the State administration’s response to those demands has not been detailed in the party’s announcement.
What is confirmed and what remains open
- Confirmed: BJP will gherao DC and SP offices in all 24 districts from Sept 8–11 with six districts scheduled per day; the party’s 48-hour ultimatum has ended.
- Unclear: The State government’s reaction to the fresh escalation and whether any administrative measures have been planned to manage the protests have not been reported in the BJP’s statement.
The BJP delegation’s memorandum and the party statement specifically cited cases filed against students during protests linked to alleged examination irregularities; it has called for their immediate withdrawal and for a CBI probe into the matter.
As the schedule for the gherao approaches, district administrations and police will be under pressure to balance maintenance of law and order with the right to protest. Further statements from the State government, district magistrates or police chiefs responding to the BJP’s announcement have not been published alongside the party’s release.
Developments will be watched closely across the State, particularly in districts where large student bodies and local political networks may converge on the planned days of action.
