‘Images disturb me deeply’: Congress’ Sam Pitroda questions ‘use of force’ against Jharkhand students

Sam
Pit oda
backs
Jha kha d
stude t
p otests

NEW
DELHI:
Co g ess
leade
Sam
Pit oda
o
Mo day
backed
p otesti g
stude ts
i
Jha kha d
as
a
agitatio
ove
alleged
i egula ities
i
JPSC
a d
JSSC
ec uitme t
exami atio s
i te sified
i
Ra chi.
C iticisi g
the
gove me t’s
use
of
lathis,
tea
gas
a d
wate
ca o s,
Pit oda
called
fo
“ efo m,
accou tability
a d
compassio ”
as
the
p otests
e te ed
thei
18th
day.The
developme t
comes
as
the
Jha kha d
stude ts’
‘Vidha
Sabha
ghe ao’
ma ch
i
Ra chi
o
Mo day
saw
police
use
lathis
a d
wate
ca o s
to
dispe se
p oteste s.
The
ma ch
was
o ga ised
ove
alleged
i egula ities
i
exami atio s
co ducted
by
the
Jha kha d
Public
Se vice
Commissio
(JPSC)
a d
Jha kha d
Staff
Selectio
Commissio
(JSSC).The
p oteste s
a e
dema di g,
amo g
othe
measu es,
the
ca cellatio
of
the
JSSC-Combi ed
G aduate
Level
(CGL)
exami atio ,
a
Ce t al
Bu eau
of
I vestigatio
(CBI)
p obe
i to
alleged
i egula ities
a d
efo ms
i
the
ec uitme t
p ocess.

I
a
se ies
of
posts
o
X,
the
I dia
Ove seas
Co g ess
(IOC)
global
chai ma
said
the
g ieva ces
of
you g
people
should
be
add essed
th ough
dialogue.”The
images
f om
Ra chi
distu b
me
deeply”,
he
w ote.

Pit oda
said
stude ts
should
ot
be
met
with
fo ce,
calli g
them
I dia’s
futu e
a d
exp essi g
solida ity
with
Jha kha d’s
youth.I
a othe
post,
Pit oda
said,
“Democ acy
equi es
gove me ts
to
c eate
space
fo
peaceful
disse t,
dialogue
a d
esolutio .”Pit oda’s
ema ks
came
afte
Co g ess
leade
Rahul
Ga dhi
also
co dem ed
the
police
actio
a d
called
fo
dialogue
with
the
p otesti g
stude ts,
u gi g
the
Jha kha d
gove me t
to
add ess
thei
g ieva ces.
The
Hema t
So e -led
Jha kha d
gove me t
is
u
by
a
JMM-led
coalitio
i
which
the
Co g ess
is
a
pa t e .

Pit oda
also
said
the
p otesti g
youth
dese ved
to
be
hea d
espectfully
a d
u ged
autho ities
to
add ess
thei
co ce s
ove
fai
exami atio s,
t a spa e t
ec uitme t,
employme t
oppo tu ities
a d
thei
p ospects
fo
the
futu e.”These
a e
ot
u easo able
dema ds.
I dia
owes
its
youth
a
system
they
ca
t ust”,
he
added
i
the
postHe
fu the
said
the
co ce s
of
stude ts
eeded
to
be
viewed
i
the
co text
of
the
sac ifices
made
by
thei
families.”Behi d
eve y
p otesti g
stude t
is
a
family
that
has
sac ificed
–
ofte
fo
yea s
fo
educatio
a d
the
hope
of
a
job.

Pit oda
c iticised
the
JMM-led
Jha kha d
gove me t
ove
the
ha dli g
of
ec uitme t
a d
exami atio – elated
g ieva ces,
sayi g
delays
i
ec uitme t
a d
failu es
i
exami atio s
isk
e odi g
you g
people’s
t ust
i
the
system.
He
called
fo
” efo m,
accou tability
a d
compassio ”
i
add essi g
thei
co ce s.Calli g
I dia’s
youth
its
“g eatest
assets”,
Pit oda
said
the
cou t y’s
demog aphic
divide d
could
tu
i to
f ust atio
if
educatio
does
ot
t a slate
i to
oppo tu ities
a d
exami atio s
fail
to
i spi e
co fide ce.”We
must
edesig
educatio ,
assessme t
a d
employme t
systems
fo
this
ge e atio
—
ot
pu ish
them
fo
dema di g
cha ge,”
he
said.

O
Mo day,
police
a d
p oteste s
clashed
du i g
the
ma ch
outside
the
Jha kha d
Assembly.
Police
eso ted
to
at
least
th ee
ou ds
of
lathicha ge,
while
tea
gas
shells
a d
wate
ca o s
we e
also
used
to
dispe se
demo st ato s.I ju ed
p oteste
alleged
that
police
bega
the
lathicha ge
without
wa i g.The
police
have,
howeve ,
give
a
diffe e t
accou t
of
the
eve ts.
Ra chi
deputy
commissio e
Ma ju ath
Bhaja t i
said
a
sto e
was
th ow
at
a
police
jawa
a d
alleged
that
some
“a ti-social
eleme ts”
attempted
to
p ovoke
police
a d
officials
du i g
the
p otest.

Add essi g
a
p ess
co fe e ce,
Bhaja t i
said
the
police
had
exe cised
est ai t
th oughout
the
demo st atio
a d
used
“mild
fo ce”
o ly
afte
a
situatio
a ose
i
which
a
jawa ‘s
life
was
allegedly
at
isk.Ra chi
City
SP
Pa as
Ra a
said
most
stude ts
we e
peaceful
but
alleged
that
a
sectio
of
p oteste s
damaged
ba icades
a d
pelted
sto es.The
p otest
also
affected
Jha kha d
Lokta t ik
K a tika i
Mo cha
(JLKM)
leade
Deve d a
Nath
Mahto,
who
was
admitted
to
Sada
Hospital
i
Ra chi
afte
taki g
pa t
i
the
ma ch.Mahto
had
bee
o
hu ge
st ike
fo
i e
days
at
Jaipal
Si gh
Mu da
Stadium
befo e
joi i g
the
‘Vidha
Sabha
Ghe ao’
ma ch
despite
his
dete io ati g
health.
He
was
late
admitted
to
hospital.The
police
actio
d ew
c iticism
f om
political
leade s
ac oss
pa ty
li es.
O
Mo day,
Co g ess
leade
Rahul
Ga dhi
also
co dem ed
the
police
actio
a d
called
fo
dialogue
with
the
p otesti g
stude ts.

“The
use
of
fo ce
agai st
stude ts
p otesti g
i
Jha kha d
is
w o g.
Stude ts
have
a
ight
to
peaceful
p otest,
a d
o ly
dialogue
ca
yield
solutio s,”
Rahul
Ga dhi
said
i
a
post
o
X,
o
Mo day.He
fu the
u ged
the
Jha kha d
gove me t
to
add ess
the
stude ts’
g ieva ces.”The
Jha kha d
gove me t
must
co ti ue
to
hea
these
stude ts
out
a d
esolve
thei
issues
immediately,”
he
added.The
JPSC
a d
JSSC
exami atio s
have
bee
at
the
ce t e
of
p otests
by
aspi a ts
ove
alleged
i egula ities.
Sepa ately,
the
E fo ceme t
Di ecto ate
(ED)
has
egiste ed
a
E fo ceme t
Case
I fo matio
Repo t
u de
the
P eve tio
of
Mo ey
Lau de i g
Act
i
co ectio
with
alleged
i egula ities
i
JPSC
exami atio s.

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