Jharkhand Protests: Third Round of Talks Between Government and Students Ends Without Resolution

Ranchi, August 9: The ongoing negotiations between the Jharkhand government and students protesting against alleged irregularities in state competitive exams ended without a resolution on Sunday. However, the government claimed to have accepted most of the protesters’ demands.

Citing their lenient approach, the Hemant Soren government urged the demonstrators to call off their movement.

On the other hand, the protesters remained steadfast in their demands, which include the cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Examination (JSSC CGL 2024) and a CBI investigation into all irregularities in various government recruitment exams.

To emphasize their demands and maintain the momentum of their movement, the protesters have decided to proceed with their previously announced march to the state assembly on Monday.

After the discussions ended without any agreement, the group of four ministers formed to negotiate expressed disappointment over the lack of consensus.

During a press conference at the Information Building, Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu stated that the government had accepted most of the students’ demands. Nevertheless, he described the protesters’ decision to continue their movement as “unfortunate.”

He appealed to the demonstrators to abandon their obstinacy, withdraw their movement, and adopt a dialogue-based approach to resolve the issues. He also urged the parents of the students to convince them to halt the protests.

The minister further mentioned that the government has agreed to cancel pending matters related to the 14th JPSC preliminary examination and the Civil Services Examination for 2023-2025.

Additionally, the government has consented to recommend involving the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the financial aspects of the examination irregularities.

The minister clarified the government’s stance on the demand to cancel the CGL exam, stating that it was conducted in accordance with the guidelines set by the Supreme Court and High Court, and appointments based on it have already been made, making it beyond the government’s jurisdiction to annul.

Although the government proposed an investigation under the supervision of a retired judge, the students did not express agreement on this matter.

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