Jharkhand Job Aspirants To Hold Fresh Government Talks As Exam Protest Enters Day 24

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. Six protesters continue to remain on hunger strike as the students press for action on their demands. The meeting, scheduled for 2 pm, will be the seventh round of discussions between the government and the protesting students.

The protesters, led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, have maintained that their two key demands are a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination. The decision to hold another meeting followed discussions between the protesters and officials, including the sub-divisional officer and the additional district magistrate (Law and Order), at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Protest leader Ravindra Paswan confirmed that the students would attend the talks, while maintaining that they remained firm on their demands.

The agitation intensified on Sunday when protesters took out a torchlight procession from Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi. At the gathering, they burnt effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, accusing the JMM-Congress alliance of failing to take concrete action. Similar demonstrations were also reported in several districts. The protesters have accused the government of treating the issue politically and failing to adequately address concerns affecting job aspirants.

Also Read: BMW Plans 8,000 Job Cuts By End Of 2027

The students have also announced plans to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20 and appealed to aspirants from across Jharkhand to reach Ranchi for the proposed demonstration. They have sought the Chief Minister’s resignation and demanded that the Congress withdraw support from the JMM-led government if their concerns are not addressed. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi backed the demand for a CBI investigation and urged the government to accept the students’ demands. He also indicated that the BJP would extend moral support to the protesters.

The Congress state unit is scheduled to discuss the issue at a meeting on August 18. Congress state media in-charge Rakesh Sinha indicated that the party would raise the concerns of students and press for transparency, impartiality and a time-bound recruitment process. The protesters have also criticised Rahul Gandhi over what they described as a lack of concrete follow-up despite his earlier support for the students. The government, meanwhile, has sought to reassure aspirants through proposed reforms to make recruitment examinations more transparent and secure.

The proposed government measures 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. Authorities have also launched a campaign seeking suggestions from students, teachers, educationists and parents on reforms to the examination system. With six protesters continuing their hunger strike and another round of talks scheduled, attention remains focused on whether Monday’s meeting can produce progress on the demands that have kept the agitation going for more than three weeks.

Also Read: Protesters In Jharkhand Demand Rahul Gandhi Withdraw Coalition Support