The agitation by JPSC-JSSC aspirants in Jharkhand intensified on Sunday, with protesting students burning effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and threatening to lay siege to the Chief Minister’s residence in Ranchi on August 20 if their demands are not met.
The protesters, who are on the 23rd day of their agitation against alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), have given the state government until August 18 to act on their demands.
They have demanded cancellation of the JSSC CGL and JPSC 11th to 13th examinations, a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities and scrapping of examinations conducted through the TDPL agency. They have also threatened to seek Soren’s resignation if their demands remain unaddressed.
“If our demands are not met by the 18th, the Chief Minister's residence will be surrounded on 20 August. We will sit there and demand our rights, and if our rights are not granted, resignations will also be demanded,” the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch said in a post.
The protesters said the planned escalation marked a shift in their approach after they claimed that peaceful demonstrations had failed to elicit a response from the government.
JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said the movement would henceforth follow the path of Bhagat Singh rather than that of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Today, we are changing the course of our movement. We have had enough of Gandhian methods and peaceful protests. They simply aren't listening. We are now going to adopt the path of Bhagat Singh. We are prepared to face bullets, even if the government shoots us in the chest, for this cause,” Paswan said.
He urged the Chief Minister to address the students' concerns and warned that the agitation would continue until their demands were met.
The protesters also targeted the Congress over its alleged failure to intervene despite its support for the Jharkhand government.
According to the students, Rahul Gandhi had earlier assured them that if Soren failed to take a positive initiative on their demands and provide a satisfactory response by August 15, the Congress would withdraw its support from the state government. They alleged that no concrete steps were taken even after the deadline and said they planned to burn effigies of Soren and Gandhi.
Piyush Kumar Singh, representing the protest platform, accused the government of ignoring the students and said Gandhi should withdraw Congress' support if the state government was not responding to his concerns.
Meanwhile, protesters on Sunday burnt effigies of Soren, Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav. Speaking to news agency ANI, protester Baha Linda said he shaved his head to mourn what he described as the failure of the political leadership to address students' concerns.
Another protester, Aryan Singh, accused national political leaders of speaking out on examination issues elsewhere while remaining silent on the recruitment examination crisis in Jharkhand.
“You were very active on Twitter back then, but now there isn't a single tweet from you. People have been suffering for so long, and the government needs to realise that students are becoming increasingly agitated,” Singh told ANI.
The protest has also involved hunger strikes. According to the ANI report, student protester Prem Nayak, who was on the 13th day of a hunger strike on Sunday, said his health had deteriorated but that he had refused to leave the protest site for treatment.
“Today marks the 23rd day of the protest and the 13th day of the hunger strike. The government is not serious at all. I don't think I will survive much longer,” Nayak said.
He said discussions were underway on laying siege to the Chief Minister's residence, though he suggested that a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' or closure of schools and colleges could also be considered.
The agitation follows a major confrontation on August 10, when a large number of students attempted to lay siege to the Jharkhand Assembly. Police used lathi-charge, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters, with several students injured.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Assembly Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi urged the state government to hold talks with the protesting aspirants and address their demands.
“The government should not remain adamant on its stance. It should pay attention to the students' demands. The government should hold talks with the students without any delay,” Marandi told ANI.
The students have said they will continue their agitation until the government acts on their demands concerning the JPSC and JSSC examinations.
(With inputs from Mukesh Ranjan)
