Student Protest / Jharkhand Students to March to Assembly as Talks With JMM-Led Govt Fail

Ranchi, Aug 10: 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 ended without a resolution on Sunday.

The deadlock centres on the protesters' demands for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination. The government has rejected the demand for a CBI probe and maintained that it has accepted most of the students' other demands.

The protesters said the Assembly march would proceed despite appeals from Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar to resume dialogue. Security arrangements have been tightened across Ranchi ahead of the demonstration.

Students Reject Government's Claim
Student leader Sanjay Mehta said the government had not accepted all of their demands despite three rounds of talks.

"Even after three rounds of talks, the government has not conceded to 100 per cent of our demands," Mehta said.

The protesters are demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities, acceptance of their proposed examination reform model and implementation of a recruitment calendar suggested by the students.

Mehta said the movement would continue if the government failed to accept any of these demands.

The protest leaders have appealed to participants to maintain discipline, avoid confrontation with police, not disrupt traffic and refrain from spreading unverified information or rumours.

Hunger Strike Enters Eighth Day
Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on hunger strike for eight days, urged students and parents from across Jharkhand to join Monday's Assembly march.

Calling Aug. 10 a "very important day for Jharkhand", Mahto said students were protesting against alleged paper leaks and irregularities in recruitment examinations.

He said he had lost 10 kg and experienced a drop in blood sugar during the hunger strike, but added that he remained committed to the agitation.

Mahto asked protesters to assemble at the Old Assembly Ground at 10:30am and march towards the state Assembly while remaining peaceful and complying with administrative restrictions.

The protest in Ranchi entered its 17th day on Monday, with six students reportedly on indefinite hunger strike.

Government Says 98% Demands Accepted
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government has maintained that it has accepted most of the students' demands and urged them to end the agitation and continue negotiations.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar, who is part of the government panel holding talks with the protesters, said it was unfortunate that students were unwilling to withdraw the agitation despite the government's response.

"There is no intention to save any culprit involved in exam irregularities," Kumar said.

According to the government, it has agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC examination and proposed an Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged financial irregularities related 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.

For examination reforms, the government has proposed an expert panel comprising 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 to collect students' suggestions on examination reforms and said it would formulate a standard operating procedure to improve transparency in future recruitment examinations.

However, the government has rejected the demand for a CBI probe into the JSSC-CGL examination, citing the monitoring of the examination by the High Court and Supreme Court.

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Soren, Governor Appeal for Dialogue
Chief Minister Hemant Soren said those responsible for examination irregularities would face strict action and assured protesting students that the matter would be addressed transparently.

He also urged students not to allow political interests to influence the agitation.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar appealed to the protesters to resolve the dispute through dialogue and said the government's doors remained open.

The government panel also met Mahto and appealed to him to withdraw his hunger strike after his health condition deteriorated on Sunday.

Three JPSC Members Resign
Amid the allegations surrounding recruitment examinations, three members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission resigned on Sunday.

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

The resignations came after the Jharkhand CID summoned the three members for questioning in connection with allegations, including paper leaks. Bhattacharya 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. He was questioned for nine hours on July 28 and for eight hours each on July 29 and July 31.

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

Security Tightened in Ranchi
Jharkhand Police has made elaborate security arrangements across Ranchi ahead of Monday's Assembly march. Prohibitory orders have also been imposed around the Assembly premises.

Additional Director General of Police Manoj Kaushik urged students to maintain the peaceful and disciplined nature of the agitation.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan said barricades had been installed at major points and adequate police personnel deployed across the city.

A prohibitory order has been imposed within a 750-metre radius of the Vidhan Sabha building from Aug. 6 to Aug. 12, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

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 protesters to refrain from aggressive demonstrations and warned against violence and other unlawful activities. The government has also said adequate security arrangements have been made and that students would not be harassed during the protest.

Most schools are expected to remain closed on Monday due to the planned agitation.

The protesters, meanwhile, have alleged that police were stopping students travelling to Ranchi from other parts of Jharkhand from reaching the state capital.