Selling our jobs like vegetables': J'khand students intensify stir over job exam 'irregularities'

They are snatching our rights and selling our jobs like vegetables', said hunger striker Sabita Kumari, capturing the anger of thousands of students, who have been protesting against the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand.

Kumari was among the six demonstrators who have been on a hunger strike as part of a student-led protest that entered its 13th day on Thursday.

“We are not only seeking the cancellation of the PSC exam, but also demanding a fixed timeline for a re-examination. They are snatching our rights and selling our jobs like vegetables,” she told PTI at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium where the protest began on July 25.

The demonstrators have been demanding cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment test either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.

They also stressed comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

Another prominent protester, Rahul Kranti, said the biggest damage caused by the alleged irregularities in the recruitment tests is the "loss of trust in the system".

"The biggest loss is not a job. The biggest loss is trust," he said.

For the students at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, the demonstration is about multiple examinations.

"We are demanding transparency, accountability and assurance that government jobs are awarded on merit rather than influence," he said.

Another protester claimed that there was "widespread corruption in the recruitment process, including paper leaks, OMR sheet manipulation and money-for-jobs networks".

"Many protesters are claiming that answers to a majority of questions in the JSSC CGL examination were leaked before the test, leaving many candidates upset," he said.

Five protesters, including two women, on Tuesday night joined Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto in his hunger strike. He has been on fast for the past five days.

Mahto's health became a matter of concern after his blood sugar and pressure levels dropped significantly.

Social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who recently observed a 26-day hunger strike in Delhi over the NEET paper leak issue, spoke to Mahto over the phone on Wednesday and urged him to at least drink water to safeguard his health.

Following Wangchuk's appeal, Mahto drank water.

Meanwhile, Wangchuk, in a fresh video, appealed to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to resolve the issue at the earliest while extending best wishes to the protesters.

As the hunger strike continues, the protesters said they were waiting for the government to engage with them and address their concerns.

Agitating students and job aspirants formed an 11-member delegation to hold talks with the government to resolve the impasse.

The ripples of their demonstration reached the state assembly during the day with opposition MLAs raising slogans on its premises on the first day of the Monsoon Session.

Soren had on Wednesday said the question paper leak issues are a national problem and offered talks to resolve the impasse.

The protest, which began under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms, emerged as one of the biggest student-led movements in the state in recent years.