JPSC-JSSC protest intensifies ahead of Monsoon session; government opens talks, BJP backs students
SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA Ranchi, August 5: With the Jharkhand Assembly’s monsoon session set to begin on Thursday, the agitation by JPSC and…
SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, August 5: With the Jharkhand Assembly’s monsoon session set to begin on Thursday, the agitation by JPSC and JSSC aspirants emerged as the state’s biggest political flashpoint on Wednesday, prompting the Hemant Soren government to initiate dialogue with protesting students even as the BJP intensified its attack by extending full support to the movement.
In a day marked by rapid political developments, Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar to brief him on the alleged recruitment irregularities and the ongoing student agitation. The district administration later reached out to the protesters with an invitation for talks, while Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi met the agitating students and demanded a CBI probe into the alleged recruitment irregularities. The Congress also announced that its leaders would engage with the students, while noted social activist Sonam Wangchuk boosted the protesters’ morale through a video interaction.
Despite the government’s outreach, the protesting students rejected an invitation to meet the Chief Minister at his official residence, insisting that he visit the protest site and address all aspirants publicly.
Government Opens Dialogue, Students Reject Invitation
The Ranchi district administration made the first formal attempt to break the deadlock by sending the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and the Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) to Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where students have been staging an indefinite protest against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and other recruitment agencies.
The officials conveyed Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s invitation to five student representatives for a meeting at his official residence.
The protesters, however, declined the invitation, maintaining that the movement represented lakhs of competitive examination aspirants across Jharkhand and could not be confined to a closed-door meeting with a few representatives.
Student leaders said that if the government was serious about resolving the issue, the Chief Minister should visit the protest venue, interact directly with all the students and publicly announce concrete decisions on their demands.
They reiterated that the indefinite sit-in and hunger strike would continue until the government announced specific action.
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Hemant Soren Briefs Governor
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar at Lok Bhawan and apprised him of the alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations and the ongoing student agitation.
The Governor described the allegations as a matter of serious concern and stressed that recruitment examinations must be conducted with complete transparency and fairness to preserve public confidence.
He observed that recruitment commissions should function in a manner that leaves no room for doubt regarding their credibility and integrity.
The Chief Minister assured the Governor that the state government was committed to ensuring justice for students and would take all necessary steps to resolve the matter in a fair and transparent manner.
Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar was also present during the meeting.
BJP Throws Weight Behind Students
Stepping up pressure on the government ahead of the Assembly session, Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi visited the protest site along with BJP legislators and interacted with the students for over 15 minutes.
After the meeting, Marandi declared that the BJP stood firmly with the students “from the streets to the Assembly” and announced that the party would raise the issue aggressively during the monsoon session.
Demanding a CBI investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities, Marandi alleged that the controversy in Jharkhand was not limited to paper leaks but involved the “sale of jobs.”
He also alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination, the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination and the Excise Constable recruitment process, and demanded the removal of senior JPSC and JSSC officials, registration of FIRs against those responsible and immediate arrests following an impartial investigation.
Congress Promises Talks
Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju said the Hemant Soren government was committed to resolving the students’ concerns through dialogue.
He announced that an alliance delegation would meet the protesters and said Panchayati Raj, Rural Development and Rural Works Minister Deepika Pandey Singh would be part of the discussions.
Expressing confidence that a solution would be reached soon, Raju said the Congress supported the early resolution of the students’ demands.
Sonam Wangchuk Boosts Protesters’ Morale
The movement also received encouragement from social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who spoke to student leader Devendra Nath Mahto through a video call lasting around 30 minutes.
Wangchuk enquired about the progress of the agitation, Mahto’s health and the condition of other protesters, and appealed to the students to continue their movement peacefully and in accordance with democratic values.
At Wangchuk’s request, Mahto consumed water during the conversation. Mahto also invited Wangchuk to visit Ranchi to meet the protesters, to which Wangchuk reportedly responded that he would do so at an appropriate time.
Protest Shows No Signs of Easing
The agitation entered its 12th day on Wednesday, while Devendra Nath Mahto’s indefinite hunger strike entered its fourth day.
The protesters continue to demand cancellation of allegedly tainted recruitment examinations, an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities, action against those responsible and structural reforms to restore transparency and credibility in Jharkhand’s recruitment system.
With the Assembly’s monsoon session beginning on Thursday, the JPSC-JSSC recruitment controversy is set to dominate the political agenda, with the government attempting to open dialogue, the Opposition escalating pressure and the students remaining firm on their demand for decisive action.
