GUWAHATI: Jharkhand students on Monday, August 10, marched towards the state Assembly in Ranchi, demanding reforms in recruitment examinations, as their agitation over alleged irregularities in government exams entered its 17th day.
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Protesters carrying the national flag and flowers described their march as a peaceful demonstration against alleged anomalies in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission. Students accused the administration of imposing strict security measures to stop them from reaching the Assembly. Stundets were also lathi-chrged and tear-gassed during their protest march.
The demonstration comes after a third round of talks between student representatives and the state government failed to produce any breakthrough on Sunday. Following the collapse of negotiations, thousands of students from across Jharkhand began arriving in Ranchi to take part in the Assembly gherao. Many travelled by bus, train and private vehicle, with a large number arriving as early as Sunday morning. Hundreds spent the night in the open at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, Atal Smriti Vendor Market and the verandas of nearby buildings.
Authorities made extensive security arrangements across the state capital ahead of the march. Razor fencing was installed along the protest route near the Jagannath Temple, and Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was imposed within a 750 metre radius of the Assembly. Ranchi City SP Paras Rana said precautionary police deployment would be carried out effectively given the large turnout expected, with instructions issued to all personnel.
Six students have been on an indefinite hunger strike in Ranchi. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, on hunger strike for eight days, urged students and parents from across the state to join the march, calling the day a crucial one for the movement. Mahto and fellow leader Sanjay Mehta had called for a peaceful march from the old Assembly building to the new one.
The protest originally began after the announcement of results of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination on July 5, with aspirants alleging irregularities in the process. Since then, students have staged round the clock protests and an indefinite sit in, demanding cancellation of the JSSC CGL exam along with the JSSC JE and PGT examinations conducted after 2019, a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities, strict action against those responsible, disclosure of category wise cut offs, OMR copies and response sheets, and a fixed recruitment calendar similar to those followed by the UPSC and SSC.
The state government maintains it has met 98 per cent of the students' demands, a claim protesters reject, saying they will continue their agitation until a CBI probe into the JSSC CGL exam is ordered. Three members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission resigned on Sunday, while the government has announced a multi pronged action plan that includes a Crime Investigation Department inquiry into the allegations.