Three first information reports were filed __against 14 identified __and more than 200 unidentified persons on Saturday in connection with clashes between the police and student protesters a day earlier, PTI quoted Ranchi Superintendent of Police Paras Rana as saying.

In neighbouring Hazaribagh district, an FIR was registered against 200 identified and 500 unidentified persons for allegedly clashing with the police, The New Indian Express reported.

Under the banner of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission-Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Reforms Manch, students had staged a protest on Friday against the Jharkhand High Court’s stay on the cancellation of recruitment appointments.

The protesters accused the state government of “deceiving” and “betraying” job aspirants.

They tried to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Ranchi, leading to clashes with police and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha workers.

The Mahagathbandhan alliance, led by Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and comprising the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, is in power in Jharkhand.

On Saturday, the police in Ranchi registered FIRs against the protesters for allegedly obstructing government work, deviating from the prescribed route for the procession and clashing with the police.

Students in Jharkhand had been protesting since July 25 against alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive examinations for government jobs.

They called off their agitation after the Jharkhand government cancelled 44 examinations conducted since 2014 by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission and the Jharkhand Public Service Commission through testing firm TSR Data Processing Private Limited.

Later, candidates who had cleared some of the examinations approached the Jharkhand High Court, challenging the state government’s decision.

On Thursday, the High Court stayed the state government’s decision to cancel the 11th to 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission Combined Civil Services examinations and the Food Safety Officer exam.

The court also directed candidates selected through the examinations to resume their duties immediately.

Following this, student leaders accused the state government of failing to effectively defend its decisions before the High Court.

Edited by Sneha.

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