RANCHI: In a significant development in the ongoing students' protest over the alleged Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) paper leak and related demands, the agitating students have agreed to hold talks with the state government.
As decided by the core committee, an eight-member student delegation has been constituted to represent the protesters during the discussions. Apart from the student representatives, journalists and legal experts will accompany the delegation, in the capacity of guardians and mentors.
However, all issues, facts, and demands during the meeting will be presented exclusively by the student representatives. “The journalists and legal experts accompanying the delegation will not take part in the discussions or address the government representatives. All facts and demands will be presented solely by the student representatives,” said a protesting student, Piyush Kumar Singh.
The accompanying media personnel will not be allowed to carry microphones, cameras, recording devices or sound systems into the meeting venue, he added.
The entire discussion will be conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner under the leadership of the student representatives. The student’s delegation includes, Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar Singh, Ravindra Kumar Ravi, Rajesh Prasad, Neetu Kujur, Kartik Soren, Ankit Kumar and Shalu Singh.
Journalists Shambhunath Chaudhary and Vikas Verma will accompany them along with former Advocate General Ajit Kumar as a legal expert. The journalists and legal expert will take part in the talks with the government as guardians of the students.
Notably, Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led government started the dialogue process with the agitating students on the 12th day of the protest, saying that the government's doors are open to everyone, and anyone with grievances is free to present their views.
Earlier, initiating efforts to engage with the protesters through formal dialogue, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) (Law and Order) visited Jaipal Singh Stadium with the government's official proposal for talks. However, the students refused to accept the government's proposal and insisted on negotiating based on their own terms.
The administration informed student leaders that Chief Minister Hemant Soren has agreed to meet with a delegation of protesting students. A meeting was scheduled at the Chief Minister's residence for this purpose, and a limited number of student representatives were invited. They urged the students to move towards a resolution through dialogue.
Initially, the protesting students did not agree to their proposal and argued that the movement is not limited to any single organisation or a few representatives but represents the collective voice of competitive exam aspirants across the state.
Consequently, they felt it would be inappropriate to make decisions regarding the entire movement based on a meeting with only a select few individuals. The students clearly stated that if the government genuinely wishes to hear them out, the Chief Minister should personally visit Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to engage with the protesting students.
They believe that a dialogue held on an open platform would be more transparent and would help maintain the trust of all the students.
By late Wednesday night, however, the protesting students agreed to hold talks with the government on Thursday at the venue designated by the administration. Later, the names of the delegation, along with the journalists and legal experts who would accompany them, was also announced by Thursday afternoon.
