Continued from P1

The controversy began soon after the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) declared the preliminary examination results of the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination on July 2. The Commission shortlisted 2,204 candidates against 103 vacancies, but allegations of irregularities emerged soon after. Around 3.5 lakh people took the exam.

At the heart of the protest, which comes against the backdrop of the developments at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, are allegations of paper leaks in the exam. The Soren government has tried to act quickly – 19 people have been arrested, and the Chief Minister has said they stand with the youth – but the protests have shown no signs of slowing.

On Saturday, an eight-member delegation of the JPSC-JSSC Abhyarthi Nyay Manch left the protest site at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium and reached a guesthouse in Morabadi around 10:30 am for the meeting. The talks began around 11:30 am.

The delegation reiterated the demands already put forward by the other platform that has emerged during the protests, the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, which held talks with the government on Friday night. Saturday’s meeting also saw some additional demands concerning candidates from different recruitment tests, including issues related to the TGT examination and other teacher recruitment examinations.

The government side was represented by Sudivya Kumar Sonu (JMM), Chamra Linda (JMM), Deepika Singh Pandey (Congress), and Sanjay Yadav (RJD).

After the meeting, Sonu addressed the media and appealed to students and candidates to send their suggestions and views to the government through a dedicated email so that their concerns could be considered. Student representative Chandan Rajak said their demands would now be taken forward to Chief Minister Soren. “Only after a decision is taken will we move away from the hunger strike and the agitation,” Rajak said.

Meanwhile, the crowd continued to swell at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Two students sitting on hunger strike were taken to Sadar Hospital after their health deteriorated, while several other protesters were also reported to be unwell. Students from both key outfits have said they plan to march towards the Assembly for a gherao on August 10.

The protests have drawn support from the Cockroach Janta Party, which spearheaded the New Delhi protests, and on Saturday, singer-actor Piyush Mishra dropped by to offer his support. Simultaneously, student outfits of political parties have waded into the protests too. The ABVP clashed with the police on Friday, while the AISA took out a march in Ranchi.

The ruling JMM’s students’ wing, the Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha (JCM), has also placed five demands before the government panel, including the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination.