The Opposition in Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Friday (September 4, 2026) announced that it would launch a gherao (siege) of the offices of the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) in all 24 districts from September 8, after the 48-hour ultimatum given to the Jharkhand government to withdraw police cases against the protesting students ended.

On September 2, a BJP delegation, led by Jharkhand BJP State President Aditya Sahu and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Babulal Marandi, met Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar and submitted a memorandum to immediately withdraw cases filed against students across the State during the protests over alleged irregularities in several examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). The BJP had also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

Protests over four days

Mr. Sahu announced the phase-wise gherao protest during a press conference held at the party’s State office in Ranchi.

“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. The gherao program will be conducted in six districts each day. The BJP will stand firmly with the students,” Mr. Sahu said.

According to the schedule, on September 8, protests will take place in Ranchi, Dumka, Hazaribagh, Giridih, Jamshedpur, and Garhwa. On September 9, in Koderma, Sahibganj, Bokaro, Palamu, Simdega, and Chaibasa. September 10 will see protests in Seraikela, Pakur, Dhanbad, Gumla, Latehar, and Chatra, and on September 11 in Ramgarh, Deoghar, Lohardaga, Khunti, Godda, and Jamtara.

Mr. Sahu asserted that neither in undivided Bihar nor since the formation of Jharkhand has anyone witnessed such treatment of the students.

“Cases have been registered against students who were protesting peacefully and democratically. Students staging peaceful protests in various districts were beaten with sticks and batons by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) workers, yet cases were filed against the students. The public wants to know why no cases have been registered against the JMM workers who engaged in hooliganism and assaulted the students,” Mr. Sahu asked.

He compared the student protests in Jharkhand to other protests in the country, including Delhi. The BJP leader claimed that Jharkhand’s students have set an exemplary standard. “Abusive language was used against the Prime Minister and his late mother during the Delhi protests. However, not a single student in Jharkhand used abusive language against anyone; despite this, cases were registered against 1,000 students,” Mr. Sahu said.

Mr. Sahu alleged that the Congress-JMM government has been involved in the sale of jobs and that the government fears that its job-selling scam might be exposed to the public; so its using various tactics to suppress the student protests.

He also alleged that the government is treating students like criminals and, instead of taking action against coal, sand, and stone mafias, police are arresting students.