The third round of talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting alleged irregularities in competitive examinations ended inconclusively on Sunday, even as the state government claimed that it had accepted most of the protesters' demands.
The Hemant Soren government called on the students to withdraw their agitation, citing its accommodative approach towards their demands. However, the protesters remained firm on their demand for the cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Examination (JSSC CGL 2024) and a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in various government recruitment examinations.
Amid the ongoing agitation, three serving members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) -- Dr Ajita Bhattacharya, Dr Anima Hansda and Dr Jamal Ahmed -- resigned from their posts. They submitted their resignations to Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, who accepted them following a recommendation from the state government, according to the Governor's office.
Addressing a press conference at Soochna Bhavan after the talks, Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu, who was part of the four-member ministerial group holding discussions with the protesters, said the government had accepted most of the students' demands but termed their decision to continue the agitation "unfortunate".
He appealed to the protesters to give up their "adamant attitude", withdraw the agitation and resolve the issues through dialogue. He also appealed to students' parents and guardians to convince them to end the protest.
The minister said the government had agreed to scrap the 14th JPSC preliminary examination and the 2023-25 civil service backlog examinations. It also agreed to recommend that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) join the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in probing the financial aspects of alleged examination-related irregularities.
Sonu said a comprehensive investigation would also be conducted into all other examinations administered by the controversial agency TDPL, and strict action would be taken if evidence of wrongdoing was found.
The government has maintained that it has conceded around 98 per cent of the students' demands. However, the cancellation of the JSSC CGL 2024 examination remains a major point of contention.
On the demand to cancel the CGL examination, Sonu said the exam had been conducted in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court and Jharkhand High Court, while appointments based on the examination had already been made. Therefore, he said, the state government did not have the authority to cancel it.
The government proposed that the CGL-related issues be investigated under the supervision of a retired judge, but the students rejected the proposal and continued to demand a CBI probe.
Sonu said the government would also take speedy measures to reform the examination system, with suggestions from students and other stakeholders to be invited through a dedicated portal.
He said the government was ready to take strict action against anyone found guilty of irregularities, but expressed disappointment that the students had chosen to continue their agitation despite the government's concessions.
Meanwhile, student organisations said their key demands had not been addressed and announced that they would go ahead with their previously planned march to the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday.
Thousands of students are expected to participate in the march, which will begin at 10 am from the Old Assembly and proceed towards the New Assembly. The protesters have said they will continue their agitation until the government agrees to a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.
Earlier, Chief Minister Hemant Soren had warned political parties against allegedly misleading students and said the agitation should not be politicised. He stressed that the government was committed to addressing the students' concerns through dialogue and transparency.
"Dialogue, not batons, can solve problems; weapons for enemies at border," Soren said, stressing that force was not the answer to the students' demands.
The state government has said security arrangements have been put in place for Monday's march and that measures would be taken to ensure that no student is harassed.
With the government and protesters still divided over the cancellation of the JSSC CGL examination and the demand for a CBI probe, the deadlock continues, with the planned Assembly march likely to intensify the agitation.
