Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday voiced support for students protesting in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, accusing the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance of failing to address their grievances in a transparent and timely manner.

In a post on social media platform X, CM Sarma said he had witnessed the concerns of recruitment aspirants firsthand during the Jharkhand Assembly election campaign and asserted that their demands deserved a fair hearing.

“During the Jharkhand Assembly elections, I had the opportunity to closely witness the pain, anger and concerns of JSSC-CGL aspirants regarding the recruitment process,” the Chief Minister said.

CM Sarma maintained that the prevailing unrest could have been prevented had the Jharkhand government acted promptly on the complaints raised by the candidates.

According to him, a sensitive and transparent response from the state administration would have helped restore confidence among aspirants.

He further alleged that repeated allegations of examination irregularities and question paper leaks had created uncertainty over the future of a large number of young job seekers in the state.

“Unfortunately, allegations of irregularities and paper leaks have continued to mount, and today the future of lakhs of youth is in crisis,” CM Sarma said.

Extending what he termed his “moral support” to the agitating students, the Assam Chief Minister urged the Jharkhand government to accept their legitimate demands and ensure justice.

“I express my moral support for this just movement of Jharkhand’s students and youth and urge the state government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the students and deliver justice to them. Injustice with the future of the youth cannot be acceptable at any cost,” he added.

CM Sarma’s remarks come amid continuing protests in Ranchi, where students have been demonstrating against alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

The protesters have demanded the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Preliminary Examination held on April 19 and sought an independent probe by central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment process.

New Delhi, Aug 4: The BJP on Tuesday accused the opposition of repeatedly disrupting Parliament proceedings and preventing the House from functioning during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The remarks came amid continued disruptions in the Monsoon Session over the NEET paper leak controversy and the police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Opposition parties have been demanding a response from the Union Home Minister over the alleged “firing” on the protesters.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress and its allies were deliberately obstructing parliamentary business, depriving elected representatives of the opportunity to raise public issues and discuss important legislation.

“The way the 2026 Monsoon Session of Parliament is being conducted and how the Congress party, along with some of its allies, has been disrupting the proceedings. Crores of rupees are spent on every Parliament session. MPs come to Parliament with questions and issues from their constituencies, expecting the concerned ministries to respond so that development work can move forward. However, since the session began, the Question Hour has not been allowed to function, disruptions have repeatedly affected the Zero Hour, and hardly any Bills have been taken up for discussion,” Patra said.

Referring to recent protests by students in Karnataka over the paper leak and irregularities in police constable recruitment, Patra accused the Congress of adopting double standards while responding to students’ concerns in states governed by the party.

“The media asked Priyank Kharge, son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka Home Minister, if he would take responsibility, as the state Home Minister. Kharge arrogantly said, ‘First let the students go on a 25-day hunger strike, then we’ll lathi-charge them, and then we’ll worry about our resignations’. Rahul Gandhi remained silent on this statement, and I can confidently say that even today he will not allow the House to function. This shows the Congress’s double standards,” the BJP MP said.

Patra further alleged that while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke extensively in the Rajya Sabha on issues concerning students, the party leadership had remained silent over the remarks attributed to Priyank Kharge.

“Mallikarjun Kharge stands up in the Rajya Sabha and speaks for hours. It’s good that at least there was a discussion, but when his son makes an insensitive and inhuman statement on the same issue in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge remain silent,” he said.

The BJP spokesperson also claimed that Congress had ignored similar protests in Jharkhand, where thousands of students were demonstrating over examination-related issues.

“They are still silent on the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam irregularities and are not responding to it. Congress MLAs are avoiding raising the issue in the House. Not even a single placard was seen in Congress hands regarding the Jharkhand JPSC exam, as this is selective outrage and the Congress party wants political gains from this issue,” he said.

Patra also criticised the Opposition for “blocking” discussion on key legislative business during the session, including the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

“The Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill 2026 asks how many days should births and deaths be registered, and what the consequences will be if they are not. Births and deaths are continuous processes that continue across the country and the world. Congress and its allies prevented discussion on how citizens can exercise their rights and what the new law contains,” he said.

Highlighting another pending piece of legislation, the BJP MP said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had introduced the Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill, 2026, on Monday. Still, Parliament could not deliberate on it because of repeated disruptions.

“It’s a huge bill because everyone is concerned with banking, but the people of India who are concerned with banking don’t get to hear any discussion about the Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill 2026 because of the chaos in the House,” he added.

New Delhi, Aug 4: The Outer North District Police have arrested an alleged active member of the Neeraj Bawana/Naveen Bali gang following an encounter on GTK Road to Hiranki Pushta Road, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Savinder alias Baba alias Pagal, was injured during the exchange of fire and has been taken into custody.

According to a press note issued by the Delhi Police, the operation was carried out late on August 3 at around 10 p.m. by teams of the Special Staff and Alipur Police Station following specific intelligence inputs about the accused’s movement.

The police said Savinder, aged 36, was a key associate of the gang and had allegedly been involved in extortion activities targeting businessmen and property dealers in the Alipur and Narela areas. Due to fear of retaliation, many victims were reportedly reluctant to approach the police, officials said.

The police team laid a trap on the route from GTK Road to Hiranki Pushta Road to apprehend the accused. As per the police statement, when Savinder was intercepted and asked to surrender, he allegedly opened fire at the police personnel.

“The moment the accused was intercepted and asked to surrender, he resorted to violence and fired indiscriminately at the police party,” the Delhi Police said in its statement.

During the exchange of fire, Sub-Inspector Vishal narrowly escaped injury after a bullet hit his bulletproof jacket, police said. The team retaliated in self-defence, following which the accused sustained a gunshot injury to his left leg and was overpowered. No police personnel were injured in the incident.

The accused was immediately provided medical assistance and was first taken to Raja Harishchandra Hospital before being shifted to LNJP Hospital. Police said he is currently stable and conscious.

The police recovered one pistol, three live 7.65mm cartridges, three empty 7.65mm rounds, and two empty 9mm rounds from his possession.

According to the police, Savinder has a criminal record involving six FIRs, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, assault, and violations under the Arms Act. He was also allegedly involved in threatening businessmen in the area.

The Delhi Police said the arrest has dealt a major setback to the activities of the Neeraj Bawana/Naveen Bali gang in Outer North Delhi and is expected to provide relief to the local business community.

“Delhi Police remain committed to maintaining law and order and will continue to take strict action against such anti-social elements,” the statement said.

Further investigation and legal proceedings are underway, police added.