NEET protest erupts into violence in Ranchi as state signs film institute deal

Street clashes between Congress and BJP workers over the alleged NEET paper leak injured police and journalists in Ranchi on July 23, 2026, with authorities using mild force to restore order and detaining persons from both sides. The same week brought a hopeful cultural development when the Jharkhand government formalized an agreement with a premier national film school to establish a dedicated film and television training institute in the state capital.

NEET Protest Turns Violent Outside BJP Headquarters in Ranchi

Ranchi witnessed sharp political confrontation on July 23 when a large crowd of Congress workers marched toward the Jharkhand BJP's state headquarters to demonstrate against the alleged leak of NEET question papers. BJP supporters came out onto the streets in response, and the encounter quickly deteriorated into mutual stone-pelting, with tomatoes and eggs also hurled by both sides. Police personnel who had been positioned at the scene with barricades and in substantial numbers were caught in the crossfire, and both officers and journalists covering the event reported injuries alongside political workers in the melee. Authorities used mild force to bring the situation under control once it escalated beyond what the initial security deployment could manage. The Ranchi SP for the Rural zone, Gaurav Goswami, told reporters that persons on both sides who had thrown projectiles were being identified through CCTV footage, and that some had already been detained. The Ranchi Traffic SP Rakesh Singh said the full count of the injured would be shared at a later stage. Jharkhand BJP president Aditya Sahu alleged that Congress workers had hurled stones at BJP supporters directly in front of the police administration, while insisting that BJP workers had stayed within acceptable limits in responding to the Congress march. He demanded that police register formal cases against those responsible for the pelting. The Congress demonstration had been directed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and included calls for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET controversy. [6]

🎬 Jharkhand Signs MoU with SRFTI to Establish Film and Television Institute in Ranchi

A significant commitment to Jharkhand's creative future was formalized when the state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, the prestigious Kolkata-based national film school known as SRFTI. The agreement was concluded between the Jharkhand Film Development Corporation Limited and SRFTI, and was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren at a ceremony held in Ranchi. The new institution to emerge from this partnership, to be called the Jharkhand Film and Television Institute, will focus on providing technical training to students interested in careers in cinema, mass communication, and digital media. For young people across Jharkhand who have ambitions in film production, direction, editing, or media communication, the proposed institute represents the opportunity to access professional training without having to leave the state. Partnering with SRFTI, one of India's most respected institutions for film education, gives the planned institute substantial credibility at the very outset. The state government's decision to channel this initiative through the Jharkhand Film Development Corporation reflects a policy ambition that reaches beyond classroom training alone — cultivating a local film ecosystem rooted in the region's own landscapes, stories, and communities. By housing the institute in Ranchi, the government is placing professional media education at the center of its vision for the capital, signaling a commitment to the creative industries as part of Jharkhand's broader development story. [9]

Sources: [6] Deccan Herald · [9] The New Indian Express