• 06:00 PM, Aug 10 2026

  The protesting students in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi marched towards the state Assembly to stage a protest. Police made several attempts to stop them, but despite the efforts, the students managed to reach near the Assembly gate.

• 03:55 PM, Aug 10 2026

  Devendra Nath Mahto flays police action

  • Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto said the ongoing protest will not stop and has now turned into a people’s movement.
  • He used the phrase, “If you reverse the word ‘Yuva’ (youth), it becomes ‘Vayu’ (air), and no one can stop air.”
  • Mahto said the pain and anger of students could be seen during the Jharkhand Assembly march.
  • He said he joined the march after a nine-day hunger strike, arriving in an ambulance and participating while on a stretcher.
  • Mahto alleged that the government was trying to suppress the students’ voices by using water cannons and tear gas.
  • He condemned the police action and accused the government of being afraid of the protesters.
  • He said three rounds of talks had already taken place between the students and the government.
  • Mahto demanded that the government accept and fulfil the students’ demands.
  • He warned that if the demands were not met, the Chief Minister’s position could come under threat.
  • He said the government would be shaken and reiterated that the student movement would continue.
• 02:11 PM, Aug 10 2026

  #WATCH | Jharkhand: Student protesters climb over Police barricading in Ranchi, as they continue their 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march in Ranchi as part of their protest against alleged irregularities in JPSC-JSSC exams. pic.twitter.com/nGfyFW2B0z

  — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

• 02:10 PM, Aug 10 2026

  Lathicharge video

  #WATCH | JPSC-JSSC aspirants' protest in Ranchi (Jharkhand) | Police resort to lathi charge to control the crowd, during 'Vidhan Sabha gherao' march of protesting students. pic.twitter.com/f4XGdOajrh

  — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

• 02:08 PM, Aug 10 2026

  • A student protester alleged that the police carried out a “barbaric” lathicharge during the Jharkhand Assembly march by JPSC-JSSC aspirants.
  • The protest was taking place near the police barricades.
  • The protester claimed that police hit students with batons on their heads, arms and faces.
  • He alleged that the force used against the protesters was disproportionate.
  • The protester accused the government of showing “double standards” in handling the students’ agitation.
• 02:07 PM, Aug 10 2026

  #WATCH | JPSC-JSSC aspirants' protest in Ranchi (Jharkhand) | On lathi charge by Police during 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march, a student protester says, "Barbaric lathi charge was launched on students protesting near Police barricading. Baton should be used only below the waist but… pic.twitter.com/ge2mZZPTlz

  — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

• 02:07 PM, Aug 10 2026

  #WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: Amid student protest in Ranchi, Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) MLA Jairam Kumar Mahato says, "A message to Police of Jharkhand - try to cooperate with the students of Jharkhand because this is a peaceful protest."
  
  On lathi charge on… pic.twitter.com/sY9jzSUsp6

  — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

• 02:06 PM, Aug 10 2026

  • JLKM MLA Jairam Kumar Mahato urged Jharkhand Police to cooperate with the protesting students.
  • Mahato said the students' agitation was peaceful.
  • He questioned the use of force and lathicharge against the protesters.
  • He said he had heard that several protesters were injured during the police action.
  • Mahato reached the protest site to understand the situation and assess what had happened.
  • He appealed for cooperation and a peaceful handling of the protest.
• 02:04 PM, Aug 10 2026

  Students reaching Jharkhand Assembly face police lathicharge during protest

Ranchi: Tensions escalated sharply in Jharkhand's capital on Monday as thousands of student protesters broke through police barricades and pushed their way toward the state Assembly, rejecting the government's latest attempts to resolve a bitter dispute over alleged manipulation in public service recruitment exams.

The demonstration, which had been simmering for nearly two weeks, boiled over after talks between agitating students and state officials collapsed without any breakthrough. What followed was one of the most dramatic protest marches Ranchi has witnessed in recent years.

#WATCH | JPSC-JSSC alleged irregularities | Ranchi, Jharkhand: A student participating in Vidhan Sabha gherao march, says, "We have been stopped here but we will head towards the Vidhan Sabha peacefully. Until our demands are met, we will not stop. We demand that JSSC-CGL exam be… pic.twitter.com/yLstWDL94n — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

Overnight gathering swells into a sea of protesters

The scale of the mobilisation became evident well before sunrise. More than 5,000 students had already assembled at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium overnight, setting the stage for what would become a massive show of strength. By the time morning broke, the crowd had multiplied several times over, with student groups pouring in from across the state and converging near the Old Assembly building before setting off on their march toward the New Assembly complex.

Eyewitness accounts from the protest site described a determined but disciplined crowd. One student participating in the march indicated that demonstrators intended to move forward together while keeping the protest peaceful and avoiding disruption to the general public.

#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: Student leader Ravindra Paswan says, "All of us are gathering at the Old Vidhan Sabha. We will begin our march from there in a very peaceful and constitutional manner. I would like to appeal to all the students to do this in a very peaceful and… https://t.co/egio64RHiH pic.twitter.com/iWInNjli2O — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

Barricades fall as protesters push forward

Despite heavy security arrangements, students managed to breach police barricades near the Old Assembly building and continued their advance toward the New Assembly. Another protester on the ground said the agitation would not let up until core demands were met, chiefly the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged irregularities.

Adding a dramatic turn to the proceedings, JPSC protest leader Devendra Nath Mahto reportedly left for the Assembly in an ambulance even as the march was underway.

Also Read | Brij Bhushan sexual harassment case: Delhi court calls allegations 'false, politically motivated'

Political heat rises as BJP joins the protest

The student movement has increasingly drawn political weight. BJP legislators staged a sit-in outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence in solidarity with the protesting students, only to be detained and removed by police shortly afterward.

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, joined by BJP leader Aditya Sahu, led party workers in a separate demonstration outside the CM's residence, pressing for a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities across the JPSC, JSSC and CGL examinations. Marandi accused the state government of shifting public attention away from the students' grievances instead of engaging with them directly, and pointed out that many of the protesting students had already been on hunger strike at the stadium for close to two weeks.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) MLA Jairam Kumar Mahato weighed in as well, acknowledging that the state government had conceded to several of the students' demands but insisting that scrapping the JSSC-CGL exam remained non-negotiable, given what he described as the most serious irregularities being tied to that particular test.

Ranchi turns into a security fortress

Anticipating large-scale unrest, the administration rolled out an extensive security blueprint across the city. Authorities strung concertina wire at strategic points and invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to restrict unlawful assembly. A six-layer security cordon was put in place, backed by round-the-clock CCTV surveillance.

The main gate of the Assembly building was fortified with heavy barricading, while water cannons were stationed within a two-km radius to manage any escalation. Additional police reinforcements were drafted in from neighbouring districts to bolster the local force, reflecting the administration's concern over the protest's scale and unpredictability.

- With inputs from agencies

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