As students in Jharkhand continued their agitation demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Civil Services Preliminary Examination, students on Monday said the government will have to bow down because this was a fight for the students of the entire state.
The movement gained further momentum as student leader Devendra Nath Mahto's indefinite hunger strike entered its second day.
Speaking to reporters, Mahto said, "The government will have to bow down because this is a fight for the students of the entire Jharkhand. This movement represents the voice of millions of young people who pursue their dreams through education and hard work."
A student participating in the protest said they had recently interacted with education activists through a video call to discuss the issue.
"Yesterday, we spoke through a video call with Abhijeet Dipke and Ashutosh Ranka. We informed them about the situation in Jharkhand and explained that the state has also been affected by incidents of paper leaks. There are several alleged irregularities in both JPSC and JSSC examinations," the student said.
Another student urged political parties to support the movement.
"The unfortunate reality is that politicians should stand with students and the youth. We want both the ruling party and the Opposition to support our cause. We are hopeful that our voices will be heard and that we will receive the support needed to ensure a fair investigation," the student said.
The Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is probing alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination, launched a major statewide crackdown on Monday, carrying out simultaneous raids at more than 20 locations across the state.
Teams of the CID conducted searches in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Deoghar, Godda, Ramgarh, Hazaribagh and Palamu districts.
The raids also covered several coaching institutes and premises linked to individuals under the scanner, including locations in Ranchi's Dhurwa and Namkum areas.
The action is focused on persons and institutions whose names have surfaced during the investigation or who are suspected to have had links to the examination process.
During the searches, investigators examined documents, computers, laptops, mobile phones, digital storage devices and other electronic equipment.
Several important documents and digital records have reportedly been seized and will be subjected to forensic analysis as part of the ongoing probe.
Earlier, the CID had raided the offices of the JPSC and the examination-conducting agency TDPL, seizing a number of documents and electronic records related to the conduct of the examination.
So far, 11 individuals associated with the Commission and the examination process have been arrested. Based on information gathered during their interrogation, the scope of the investigation is being widened further.
As part of the same investigation, former JPSC Chairman and former Jharkhand Chief Secretary L. Khiangte has already been questioned several times. He has again been summoned for questioning on Monday.
The agency is currently piecing together evidence related to the conduct of the examination, management of question papers, evaluation procedures and other operational aspects of the recruitment process.
Officials believe that forensic examination of the seized documents and digital data could lead to fresh revelations and further action against other persons in the coming days.
The controversy erupted after large-scale irregularities were alleged in the results of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Examination.
The Cockroach Janta Party, which led the students' protest over NEET paper leak at Delhi's Jantar Mantar has also now extended its support to students protesting in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in JPSC, JSSC CGL, and various other competitive exams.
A scuffle broke out between Congress workers and the Commissionerate Police at Lower PMG here on Sunday during a massive rally by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) demanding the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education (S&ME) Minister Nityananda Gond over massive textbook errors and other irregularities in the state's education sector.
The protesting leaders and workers led by NSUI National President Vinod Jakhar, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das, and Odisha Chhatra Congress President Bibhuti Bhusan Mohapatra were proceeding towards the Chief Minister's official residence to stage a gherao over their demands.
The Congress workers engaged in a scuffle when they were stopped by the police at Lower PMG.
The Commissionerate police later detained several senior Congress leaders and workers, including OPCC President Das.
Earlier on Sunday, the Odisha Pradesh Chhatra Congress organised a 'Chhatra Sankalp Samavesh' (Students' Resolve Convention) at Master Canteen Square here.
The programme felicitated the newly appointed Chhatra Congress President Mohapatra and adopted a resolution outlining the organisation's future course of action.
Addressing the gathering, Jakhar alleged that the Narendra Modi government was "anti-youth" and "anti-student", saying that the Centre's action against the students protesting at Jantar Mantar over the deteriorating education system was unfortunate.
Meanwhile, OPCC President alleged that student union elections are not being held in colleges and universities because students in Odisha are not coming out onto the streets to assert their rights.
He claimed that students were repeatedly being subjected to injustice and alleged that the state's education system had collapsed.
Das claimed that schools, colleges and universities across the state were functioning with nearly a 50 per cent shortage of teachers, faculty members and other staff.
He accused the state government of playing with the future of students.
Das targeted the State Education Minister Gond accusing him of failing students, highlighted more than 2,000 glaring errors in government textbooks.
The OPCC President alleged that despite repeated demands for Minister Nityananda Gond's resignation, the state government had continued to shield him and that the Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had remained unaffected by the criticism.
"To teach them a lesson, there is a need for a bigger and more impactful protest in Odisha than the one at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. If student power awakens, Odisha will awaken," Das said.
