Jharkhand Protesting Students Meet Govt In First Round Of Talks, Stir Continues

The protesters said they would continue their agitation until the government addresses their key demands, including cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities.

They also warned that their planned march to the Jharkhand Assembly on August 10 will go ahead if the government fails to provide concrete assurances by Sunday.

A 10-member delegation of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch met a government panel headed by Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar.

The meeting followed a dispute over the composition of the student delegation. The protesters submitted a revised list after the government objected to an earlier 11-member panel that included an advocate.

After the meeting, JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch core committee member Ravindra Paswan described the discussion as positive but said no firm assurance had been given.

“We met the government. The meeting was positive. We want an assurance, and they will convey our message to the chief minister. We will meet again soon,” Paswan said.

He said the agitation would continue for now, while the August 10 Assembly march could be reconsidered if the government gives a satisfactory response.

The students are demanding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination and an independent investigation, either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a panel of retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand.

They are also seeking wider reforms in the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

“We met the students’ delegation and are sensitive to their concerns. We are ready to consider their demands sympathetically, and the outcome will be visible soon,” Education Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said.

She added that the students’ concerns had been conveyed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren. “The chief minister is concerned about students and an outcome will come soon,” she said.

Soren had earlier said his government was ready for dialogue and urged students to place their grievances before the administration.

The agitation, launched on July 25 under the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch banner, entered its 15th day on Saturday. Several students remain on an indefinite hunger strike.

Student leader Rahul Kranti, one of six protesters fasting, was hospitalised after his health deteriorated. He had reportedly been on hunger strike since Tuesday night.

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi visited Kranti in hospital and appealed to the protesters not to risk their health.

Health Minister Irfan Ansari also met Kranti on the Chief Minister’s instructions and said he was receiving treatment under specialist supervision.

Kranti had earlier alleged that doctors did not visit the protest site despite repeated requests until Friday morning.

Another group of protesters led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto has also been invited for talks.

The group submitted an eight-member delegation and was called for a meeting at the state guest house at 10 am on Saturday.

Mahto questioned the need for separate discussions, arguing that all protesting groups were raising essentially the same demands.

“It doesn’t matter how many of us go to meet them. All of us have the same demands, which should be fulfilled,” he said.

Jayant Jaipal Singh, son of tribal leader Jaipal Singh Munda, visited the protest site and backed the students’ demand for fair recruitment examinations. He also urged protesters to keep “bad elements, miscreants and outsiders” away from the movement.

Left-backed student groups AISA and AISF separately organised a march towards the Assembly in support of the protesters. The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch said it was not part of the march but welcomed the solidarity.

The march was briefly disrupted near Birsa Chowk after AISA national president Neha Bora was allegedly hit with ink. Police detained the accused, identified as Amarnath Pandey, for questioning.

Bora called the incident an attempt to intimidate the student movement. The BJP described the allegation as a “stage-managed drama”, while the ABVP denied involvement and condemned the incident.

The recruitment controversy also disrupted proceedings inside the Jharkhand Assembly. BJP legislators demanded a court-monitored CBI probe into the alleged irregularities, forcing the House to be adjourned for the day.

Meanwhile, Minister Sudivya Kumar accused the BJP and the “coaching mafia” of attempting to hijack the student movement for political purposes.

August 10 Assembly March In Focus

Ahead of the planned march, prohibitory orders have been imposed within a 750-metre radius of the Assembly from August 6 to 12, between 6 am and 10 pm.

So far, 19 people have been arrested in connection with the alleged JPSC examination irregularities. Former JPSC chairman L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.

With the first round of government-student talks ending without a concrete assurance, the August 10 Assembly march remains the next major flashpoint in the ongoing agitation.