Water Cannons and Batons Deployed: What Caused Clashes With Job Seekers in India?

In India, where the education minister recently resigned over a medical school entrance exam leak, large-scale protests denouncing alleged irregularities in civil service exams have broken out, leading to clashes with police.

On the 11th local time, thousands of students took to the streets in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, demanding reforms to the civil service examination system and a direct investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

An Indian student currently on a hunger strike shouted, "Today is a day of revolution and change for us," adding, "Today is a decisive day of struggle."

Physical clashes erupted as protesters crossed police barricades and attempted to march toward the state assembly, prompting police to use tear gas, water cannons, and batons to disperse them.

Numerous injuries were reportedly sustained on both sides during the clashes.

Police defended their actions, stating, "They are merely students," and adding, "Some protesters became violent, so we used minimal force for a very short period."

The protests were triggered after allegations of irregularities, such as grading errors, surfaced in Jharkhand, where civil service jobs are immensely popular due to widespread relative poverty.

The state government hinted at the possibility of further negotiations, stating that it has accepted most of the protesters' demands, including the cancellation of some exams where irregularities were raised.

Previously, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced the biggest political crisis of his third term after large-scale protests by the younger generation, angered by medical school entrance exam leaks, led to the disgraced resignation of the education minister.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.