Jharkhand students to hold Vidhan Sabha march after talks with govt fail

Students protesting alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations will hold a ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march in Ranchi on Monday after the sixth round of talks with the state government failed to produce a breakthrough.

The protests, centred on alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), have prompted authorities to tighten security across Ranchi ahead of the planned march.

Razor fencing has been installed along the route leading to the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha near Jagannath Temple. Authorities have also imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) within a 750-metre radius of the assembly complex. Several schools in Ranchi are expected to remain closed.

Sixth round of talks ends without breakthrough

The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government held its sixth round of discussions with representatives of the protesting students on Sunday in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

However, the talks ended without an agreement, with both sides accusing each other of failing to show sufficient seriousness in addressing the students’ concerns.

The government claimed it had agreed to around 98% of the students’ demands, while student representatives rejected the assertion and maintained that several key demands remained unresolved.

What are the students demanding?

The protesters, who have been demonstrating at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, are demanding a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations.

Their demands include cancellation of the JSSC CGL, JSSC JE and PGT examinations conducted after 2019, strict action against those found responsible for irregularities and reforms to the recruitment process.

The students have also sought disclosure of category-wise cut-offs, OMR sheets and response sheets, as well as the introduction of a recruitment calendar similar to those followed by the UPSC and SSC.

Student leader Ravindra Paswan said the government had agreed to some of the proposed recruitment reforms but had not accepted demands relating to cancellation and investigation.

“We had categorised our demands into three sections—cancellation of exams, investigation, and reforms. The government did accept and fulfil the demands related to reforms,” Paswan said, according to ANI.

However, he alleged that the government had shown no willingness to cancel examinations conducted by TDPL, along with the JSSC-CGL, PGT and Excise examinations and other tests allegedly involving Abhay Tiwari.

Students appeal for peaceful march

Paswan appealed to students from across Jharkhand to participate in Monday’s march, while stressing that the protest would remain peaceful.

He also warned that students would oppose anyone attempting to disrupt the demonstration or incite violence.

The authorities have meanwhile strengthened security arrangements around the assembly complex and along the planned protest route to prevent any untoward incident during the march.