Ranchi, Aug 9: The agitation by Jharkhand students and job aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations entered its 15th day on Saturday, with protesters announcing a gherao of the state Assembly on August 10 to press the Hemant Soren government to accept their demands.
The protest, being held under the banner of the JPSS-JSSC Reform Manch, continued at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi despite cloudy weather and intermittent rain.
Students said they would continue the agitation until all their demands, including cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination, are met.
“Protest to continue until all demands, including cancellation of 14th JPSC exam, are met,” the protesting students said.
The announcement comes amid a continuing deadlock between the protesters and the state government. Talks held between government representatives and different student groups have so far failed to resolve the issue.
A government team constituted by Chief Minister Hemant Soren had assured the students on August 7 of a “quick decision” on the issues raised by them, according to representatives of the protesting students.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is probing alleged irregularities in competitive examinations for government recruitment, has served notices to three serving members of the JPSC.
According to the information available, JPSC members Ajita Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmed have been asked to appear before the investigating agency on August 10, 12 and 14, respectively.
The development comes as allegations of irregularities in JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations continue to fuel protests in Ranchi.
In a parallel move aimed at addressing student concerns, the state government has launched a dedicated email address, JPSSC.feedback@gmail.com, inviting suggestions and feedback from students and other stakeholders on recruitment reforms.
“We will continue to meet with various student groups and stakeholders,” the government said.
It added that students, individuals and other stakeholders could send their suggestions through the email, which would be considered while formulating a recruitment reform policy.
“Any student, individual, or stakeholder can send suggestions to this address, and we intend to formulate a reform policy and reach a collective decision based on everyone’s input,” the government said.
“The government will take their concerns into account based on the emails received,” it added.
Despite the government’s assurance of continued dialogue and a possible reform framework, the protesting students have maintained that their agitation will continue unless concrete action is taken on their demands.
The proposed Assembly gherao on August 10 is expected to be the next major phase of the ongoing agitation, as the government and protesting aspirants remain at odds over the cancellation of examinations and the mechanism for investigating alleged irregularities.
