Students protesting alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations in Jharkhand are set to march to the state Assembly on Monday after talks with the Hemant Soren government failed to produce a breakthrough on Sunday.

The deadlock centres on the students’ demand for a CBI investigation into alleged recruitment examination irregularities and cancellation of a Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examination. The government has rejected the CBI probe demand, while protesters have said the Assembly march will proceed despite appeals from Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar to resume negotiations.

Students Announce Assembly March

Student leaders said the proposed march would be held peacefully from the Old Assembly building to the new Assembly complex, with supporters expected to arrive from different districts of Jharkhand.

“Even after three rounds of talks, the government has not conceded to 100 per cent of our demands. Regarding the march to the Legislative Assembly scheduled for Monday, aspirants and our fellow supporters from all districts of Jharkhand are extending our moral support. We will march in large numbers from the old Assembly building to the new one, conducting this as a completely peaceful march,” student leader Sanjay Mehta said.

The protesters are demanding cancellation of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities, acceptance of their proposed examination reform model and adherence to a recruitment calendar suggested by the students.

“If the government fails to meet even a single one of these demands, the movement will continue until they are fulfilled,” Mehta said.

Protest leaders have asked participants to remain united and peaceful, avoid disrupting traffic or inconveniencing the public, and not confront police personnel. They have also urged protesters to report any disorder, verify information and avoid spreading rumours.

Hunger Strike Enters 17th Day

Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on hunger strike for eight days, appealed to students and parents across Jharkhand to participate in Monday’s march, describing August 10 as “a very important day for Jharkhand”.

“Students have been troubled by paper leaks in every examination, and we are fighting against this,” Mahto said. He added that he had lost 10 kg, experienced a fall in blood sugar levels and was suffering severe pain.

“But the pain of seeing question papers being leaked and students being denied jobs is greater than this physical pain,” he said.

Mahto urged protesters to assemble at the Old Assembly Ground at 10.30 am before marching towards the Assembly. He called Monday a “decisive day” for the movement and asked participants to comply with administrative restrictions and maintain peace.

“Our student delegation has held two rounds of talks with the government. To a large extent, our movement has received a positive response, but it is not sufficient. Complete reforms are necessary,” Mahto said.

“Tomorrow (Monday) is a very important day for Jharkhand. It is our decisive battle so that children from poor families, farmers’ families, working-class families and rural areas can get jobs. There should be no manipulation, no setting and no paper leaks in any examination,” he added.

The protest entered its 17th day on Monday, with six students continuing an indefinite hunger strike.

Students Reject Government’s 98% Claim

The protesters have rejected the Jharkhand government’s claim that it has accepted 98 per cent of their demands, saying the assertion does not accurately reflect the outcome of the negotiations.

A student leader alleged that the government had agreed to cancel only three of the 13 examinations for which the protesters had sought cancellation.

“The Jharkhand government is spreading lies that it fulfilled 98 per cent of our demands. It cancelled only three of the 13 exams sought by us,” the student leader said.

The disagreement has persisted despite three rounds of discussions between representatives of the government and the protesters, with both sides accusing the other of not showing sufficient seriousness in resolving the dispute.

Government Says Most Demands Accepted

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government has maintained that it has agreed to most of the students’ demands and urged them to call off the agitation and continue discussions.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar, who is part of the government panel negotiating with the students, said the administration had no intention of protecting anyone accused of examination irregularities.

“It is unfortunate that students are not ready to withdraw the agitation, though we agreed to most of their demands. There is no intention to save any culprit involved in exam irregularities,” Kumar said.

The government said it had agreed to cancel the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination and proposed an Enforcement Directorate investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to the JPSC examination.

It has also proposed a fast-track court mechanism under which charge sheets in cases related to examination irregularities would be filed within 90 days.

Government Proposes Examination Reforms

As part of its proposed reforms, the state government has suggested creating an expert panel with representatives from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur.

It has also proposed a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to examine the JSSC-CGL issue.

The state has launched a portal inviting suggestions from students on examination reforms and said it would formulate a standard operating procedure aimed at improving transparency in future recruitment examinations.

However, the government has rejected the demand for a CBI investigation into the JSSC-CGL examination. It has argued that the examination was conducted under the monitoring of the High Court and the Supreme Court.

The nature of the proposed investigation remains the principal point of disagreement between the two sides.

Soren, Governor Urge Students To Resume Dialogue

Chief Minister Hemant Soren has said that those responsible for examination irregularities would face strict action and assured students that the government would ensure a transparent process of justice.

Soren also cautioned against allowing political interests to influence the agitation and urged students not to be misled by political groups.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar separately appealed to the protesters to resolve the dispute through dialogue, stressing that the government’s doors remained open.

Gangwar said the authorities did not want to compromise the future of students. The government panel also met Mahto on Sunday and appealed to him to withdraw his hunger strike after his health condition deteriorated.

Three JPSC Members Resign

Amid the continuing protests and allegations of irregularities, three members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission resigned on Sunday.

Governor Gangwar accepted the resignations of Ajeeta Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmad, according to a statement issued by the Lok Bhavan.

The resignations came after the Jharkhand CID summoned the three members for questioning in connection with allegations that include paper leaks. Bhattacharya, the wife of JMM leader Supriyo Bhattacharyya, is scheduled to be questioned on August 10, Ahmad on August 12 and Hansda on August 14.

JPSC chairman L Khiangte had resigned on July 22. Officials said 19 people have so far been arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in JPSC examinations.

Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28. The CID questioned him for nine hours on July 28 and for eight hours each on July 29 and July 31.

He resigned a day before the CID searched multiple locations, including his official residence, in connection with the allegations. Khiangte said he had “voluntarily chosen to resign” to ensure an impartial investigation.

The JPSC had earlier postponed the Combined Civil Services Mains Examination, scheduled from July 25 to July 27, citing “unavoidable circumstances” amid the protests.

Security Tightened Across Ranchi

Jharkhand Police has stepped up security across Ranchi ahead of Monday’s proposed Assembly march and imposed prohibitory orders around the Assembly premises.

Additional Director General of Police Manoj Kaushik urged students to maintain the peaceful and disciplined character they had displayed during the earlier days of the agitation.

“It is their responsibility to ensure that anti-social elements and troublemakers are prevented from joining the march,” Kaushik said.

Ranchi SSP Rakesh Ranjan said extensive security arrangements had been made across the city.

“We do not want a blot on the career of any student due to disruption of law and order. Barricades have been put in place at major points with the deployment of an adequate police force across the city,” Ranjan said.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed within a 750-metre radius of the Vidhan Sabha building from August 6 to August 12, between 6 am and 10 pm. A similar order was imposed in Jamshedpur from Sunday midnight in view of the planned protest in Ranchi.

The Ranchi district administration has appealed to students to avoid aggressive demonstrations, violence and illegal activities during the march. The government has also said that adequate security arrangements are in place and that no student will be harassed during the protest.

Most schools are expected to remain closed on Monday because of the planned agitation. Protesters, however, have alleged that hundreds of students travelling to Ranchi from different parts of Jharkhand are being stopped by police from reaching the state capital.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share