The first round of talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations ended on a positive note on Friday, but failed to break the deadlock, with protesters vowing to continue their agitation until their demands, including cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination, are met.
The students also said they would go ahead with their planned march to the Jharkhand Assembly on August 10 if the government failed to provide concrete assurances by Sunday.
The meeting was held between a 10-member delegation of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch and a government panel headed by Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar.
The talks came after the protesters submitted a revised delegation list, replacing an earlier 11-member panel that the government had objected to because it included an advocate.
After the meeting, JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch core committee member Ravindra Paswan said the discussions were positive but the protesters were still waiting for a clear assurance from the government.
“We met the government. The meeting was positive. We want an assurance, and they will convey our message to the chief minister. We will meet again soon,” Paswan said.
He added that the protest march would continue for now, but the students could reconsider their plan to march to the Assembly on August 10 if they received a positive response from the government.
The students are demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination and an independent probe into alleged irregularities, either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a panel of retired high court judges from outside Jharkhand.
The protesting students are also seeking comprehensive reforms in the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
After the talks, Jharkhand Education Minister said the government was sensitive to the students’ concerns and would consider their demands sympathetically.
“We met the students’ delegation and are sensitive to their concerns. We are ready to consider their demands sympathetically, and the outcome will be visible soon,” he told reporters.
Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said the students’ demands had been conveyed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren. “The chief minister is concerned about students and an outcome will come soon,” she said.
Soren had earlier said his government was ready for dialogue with the protesters and that students were welcome to raise their grievances.
“We are ready to hold talks. Every student in the state is welcome to place their grievances before us. We will move ahead with strong reforms in line with students’ demands,” he had said.
HUNGER STRIKE CONTINUES
The agitation, which began on July 25 under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, entered its 15th day on Saturday, with several students sitting on an indefinite hunger strike.
Concerns over the health of protesters intensified after student leader Rahul Kranti, one of six people on hunger strike, was admitted to a hospital after his condition deteriorated. Kranti had been fasting since Tuesday night.
Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi visited Kranti at the hospital and appealed to the students not to risk their lives, saying they had a long battle ahead.
Health Minister Irfan Ansari also met Kranti on the chief minister’s instructions and said the student was receiving proper medical care under specialist supervision.
Kranti had earlier alleged that despite repeated requests, doctors had not visited the protest site until Friday morning.
GOVT TO HOLD TALKS WITH MAHTO
Meanwhile, another group of protesters led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on hunger strike for six days, said it had also been invited for talks.
The group has submitted the names of an eight-member delegation and said it had been called for discussions at 10 am on Saturday at the state guest house.
POLITICAL BACKING, ASSEMBLY DISRUPTION
The agitation has drawn support from various political and social groups. Jayant Jaipal Singh, son of tribal icon Jaipal Singh Munda, visited the protest site at the stadium named after his father and extended his support to the students.
He urged protesters to keep “bad elements, miscreants and outsiders” away from the movement and continue their campaign for fair recruitment.
“This ground belongs to students and youth. They are using it for a constructive cause. I fully support their fight for free and fair examinations and for a Jharkhand free from corruption and nepotism,” he said.
Two Left-backed student organisations, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), also organised a march towards the Assembly in solidarity with the protesters.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch clarified that it was not part of the march, though it welcomed moral support from other organisations.
The march was briefly disrupted when AISA national president Neha Bora was targeted with ink by a man near Birsa Chowk. Police detained the accused, identified as Amarnath Pandey, for questioning.
Bora alleged that the incident was an attempt to intimidate the student movement. The BJP, however, dismissed the allegation as a “stage-managed drama”, while the ABVP denied any involvement and condemned the attack.
The issue also reverberated inside the Jharkhand Assembly, where BJP legislators disrupted proceedings while demanding a court-monitored CBI probe into the alleged recruitment irregularities, forcing the House to be adjourned for the day.
Earlier, Minister Sudivya Kumar accused the BJP and the “coaching mafia” of attempting to hijack a genuine student movement for political gains, while appealing to protesters to continue engaging with the government.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders have been imposed within a 750-metre radius of the Assembly from August 6 to 12, between 6 am and 10 pm, ahead of the planned August 10 march.
So far, 19 people have been arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in the JPSC examinations. Former JPSC chairman L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.
– Ends
Published By:
Shipra Parashar
Published On:
Aug 8, 2026 08:35 IST
