Jharkhand exam protest enters day 24; fresh talks with government today
Job aspirants protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand will hold fresh talks with the state government on Monday as their agitation entered its 24th day.
The meeting, scheduled for 2 pm, will be the seventh round of talks between the government and the protesting students. Earlier rounds failed to resolve the issue.
Six protesters continue to remain on hunger strike. The agitation is being led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been demanding a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination.
“We will definitely go for the talks as we want to resolve the issue through dialogue. We are firm on two of our demands — a CBI probe into irregularities in recruitment exams and cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exams,” JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said.
The fresh meeting was proposed after representatives of the protesters met the sub-divisional officer and the additional district magistrate (Law and Order) at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.
On Sunday, the protesters took out a torchlight procession from the stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk, where they burnt effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
The protesters accused the ruling JMM-Congress alliance of failing to take concrete action on their demands. They have also announced plans to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20 and appealed to students from across the state to gather in Ranchi.
Paswan also sought the resignation of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and alleged that the JMM and Congress were playing politics over the concerns of job aspirants.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi backed the demand for a CBI probe and urged the state government to accept the students’ demands.
Marandi said continued inaction by the government could prompt more youth and students to join the protests. He also said the BJP would extend moral support to the protesters during the proposed gherao.
The Congress has said its state unit will discuss the issue at a meeting on August 18. State Congress media in-charge Rakesh Sinha said the party would raise the students’ concerns and push for transparency, impartiality and a time-bound recruitment process.
The protesters have also criticised Rahul Gandhi, alleging that despite his expression of support for students, no concrete action followed.
The state government, meanwhile, has announced measures aimed at making the recruitment process more transparent and secure. These include a time-bound annual examination calendar, technology-secured examinations, timely publication of answer keys and OMR sheets, and multi-level accountability in the recruitment process.
The government has also launched a campaign seeking suggestions from students, teachers, educationists and parents on reforms in the examination system.
