The Jharkhand government will hold another round of talks with students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations on Sunday, as the agitation entered its 16th day. However, the move was dismissed as “political manoeuvring” by a prominent student group leading the protest.
The decision came after several meetings between government representatives and student organisations on Friday and Saturday failed to break the deadlock.
Meanwhile, the health of student leader Devenedra Nath Mahto, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Stadium for around a week, deteriorated early Sunday. Doctors recorded his blood glucose level at 53.
The government held discussions with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch on Friday night, followed by four rounds of talks on Saturday with various student groups, including the Congress’ student wing NSUI, Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha (JCM) and Adivasi Chhatra Sangh (ACS).
The government has now scheduled a sixth round of talks with student representatives at noon on Sunday.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch criticised the decision, accusing the government of attempting to divide the protesting students and divert attention from their core demands.
“This is political manoeuvring by the government. It is trying to create a divide among students and divert attention. But they should know that all students are united,” Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said at a press conference at the stadium, where the protest has been underway since July 25.
Paswan said the Manch had presented all its demands to the five-member government panel during Friday night’s meeting. On Saturday, however, the panel held separate discussions with student bodies, including NSUI, JCM and ACS, and sought their respective lists of demands.
The government said the discussions were held in a positive atmosphere and that it was considering the concerns raised by the protesting aspirants.
The decision to hold another round of talks followed a four-hour meeting between the government panel and Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday evening.
Rural Development Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said the panel had briefed the chief minister on the demands raised by the student delegations.
“It was decided in the meeting with the chief minister that a final round of talks with the protesting students will take place at 12 pm on Sunday,” she said.
Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav said the government would continue discussions with students demanding comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
The JCM submitted five demands, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination. The NSUI submitted six demands, including a CID probe within 90 days into JPSC and JSSC examinations under suspicion and the creation of a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency.
ACS leader Kartik Oraon called for tribal and regional languages to be included as qualifying papers in recruitment examinations and for the cancellation of tests in which irregularities were found.
Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government had also issued an email address to receive suggestions from aspirants on reforms to the recruitment process.
Despite the talks, protesters said the agitation would continue until all their demands were met. They have announced a march to the Assembly on August 10 if the government fails to address their demands by Sunday.
Meanwhile, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) set up a separate platform at the stadium on Saturday, but its leaders said this did not represent a separate agitation.
AISA national president Neha Bora, who was allegedly attacked with ink during Friday’s Assembly march near Birsa Chowk, briefly joined the protest and raised slogans demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC and JSSC-CGL examinations.
AISA’s Ranchi unit chief Vijay Kumar said the organisation shared the same demands as the larger agitation and that its members would join the August 10 march without carrying the AISA banner.
The agitation has also seen protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Its members scuffled with police on Friday while attempting to breach barricades near the chief minister’s residence.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Ajay Aryan said around eight to 10 ABVP protesters were detained during the march but were later released.
The ABVP has announced a separate march to the Vidhan Sabha on August 11.
So far, 19 people have been arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in JPSC examinations. Former panel chairperson L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.
(With inputs from PTI)