Student leaders in Jharkhand will hold talks with the government over exam irregularities but warned of a Vidhan Sabha gherao on August 10 if demands for a probe and cancellation of exams like JPSC, SSC, and CGL are not met.
Student leaders on Thursday said they would decide their next course of action after holding talks with the Jharkhand government, but warned that the proposed Vidhan Sabha gherao on August 10 would go ahead if their demands over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations were not met.Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting with the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), student leader Radhe Kumar said a five-member delegation would represent the protesters. "...Five members of our core team will attend the meeting. We will present our demands to the government through the SDO, who will convey them to the appropriate authorities. Once the government responds to our demands, we will decide our next course of action," Kumar said.
Students Detail Demands, Threaten 'Massive Turnout'
He, however, reiterated that the planned Assembly gherao would proceed if the talks failed to produce a satisfactory outcome. "The Vidhan Sabha gherao is scheduled for the 10th. Government officials, including the SDO, recently visited us, and we have conveyed our demands to them. If these demands are not met, we will lay siege to the Vidhan Sabha on the 10th with a massive turnout of hundreds of thousands of people. The purpose of this gherao is to press for the students' demands. We are demanding the cancellation of the JPSC, SSC, and CGL examinations. Furthermore, all examinations conducted by the TDPL company under the current government should also be cancelled. We are also demanding that all examinations linked to Abhay Tiwari be cancelled. In addition, we are demanding CBI and ED investigations into the matter. After these examinations are cancelled, reforms must be introduced in the JPSC, SSC, and CGL recruitment processes. It has been 26 years since Jharkhand was formed, and throughout this period, students have consistently faced injustice. Whenever we have raised our voices through protests, our movements have been suppressed. However, this movement will not be suppressed in 2026 because students are now determined to continue their struggle..." he said.
Government Forms Panel for Dialogue
The development comes amid protests over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), JSSC CGL and other recruitment examinations. The students are demanding cancellation of the examinations, an independent probe into the alleged irregularities and reforms in the state's recruitment process. The Jharkhand government has constituted a panel of Cabinet ministers to hold talks with the agitating students. State Minister Radhakrishna Kishore said the panel would listen to the students' concerns and act as a bridge between them and the government, while appealing to the protesters to engage in dialogue. The government has maintained that it is committed to ensuring justice for the state's youth.
Investigation Update: Arrests Made
Earlier, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested five more people in connection with the alleged recruitment examination irregularities, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 19. The investigation is being carried out by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
