JPSC exam row: Students to continue agitation despite talks with Jharkhand Govt
Student protesters on Friday said they would continue their agitation over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment exams despite holding talks with the state Government, saying they would not stop the stir till all their demands, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC exam, are met.
They also said they would march to the state assembly on August 10 if their demands were not met by Sunday.
The first round of talks between the Government and a 10-member delegation of the JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch was held here on Friday evening.
“The meeting with the Jharkhand Government was held in a positive atmosphere. It assured us that our demands would be considered. However, we have decided to continue our protest till all our demands, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination, are met,” a leader of the JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch told reporters after the meeting.
State Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the Government was sensitive to the students’ concerns. “We met the delegation of student protesters. The Government is sensitive to their demands and is ready to consider them sympathetically. The outcome will be visible soon,” Kumar told reporters. Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said the panel has apprised Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the students’ demands.
“The CM is concerned about students and an outcome will come soon,” she said. Meanwhile, another group of protesters led by Devendra Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for the past six days, claimed that it had received an invitation from the Government for talks.
The Mahto-led group said it had submitted the names of an eight-member delegation to the Government for discussions. The protesters have been demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC exam and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities either by the CBI or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.
The protest over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) recruitment examinations entered its 14th day on Friday, with six protesters continuing their hunger strike.
Earlier in the day, the JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch submitted a fresh 10-member panel to the Government after it objected to the earlier 11-member delegation, which included an advocate and two technical experts.
Members of the new delegation are student leaders Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar, Rajesh Prasad, Neetu Kujur, Ankit Raj, Kartik Soren, Shalu Kumari, among others.
