One of the longest-running student agitations in Jharkhand was temporarily suspended on Wednesday, with student leaders calling off their 26-day protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Members of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum and the JPSC-JSSC Candidates’ Justice Forum vacated the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium after announcing the suspension of their agitation. Before leaving, the protesters sang the national anthem, following which the administration removed the tents from the stadium.
The student groups later took out a thanksgiving procession from the stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi. At the chowk, they paid floral tributes to the statues of tribal leader Jaipal Singh Munda and martyr Albert Ekka. Students celebrated the development by applying abir-gulal, raising slogans and bursting firecrackers.
Describing the development as a “historic victory” for the student movement, student leaders claimed that action had been initiated in 45 examinations following their prolonged agitation.
According to the students, 22 examinations have been cancelled, investigations ordered into 17 examinations and six examinations postponed. However, the suspension does not amount to a permanent withdrawal of the agitation. The student groups have given the state government 60 days to address their pending demands and take action against those found responsible for alleged irregularities.
Student leader Kunal Pratap said the decision to suspend the protest followed what he described as positive initiatives by the government, including the cancellation of certain examinations and orders for investigations.
“We have suspended the agitation for now because the government has taken some positive steps. But if concrete progress is not visible within two months, we will resume the movement,” Pratap said.
The students also appealed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren to withdraw cases registered against protesters in connection with the August 10 Assembly gherao. They argued that the cases could create difficulties for students in their future careers and employment.
Ravindra Paswan, spokesperson for the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum, said the suspension of the agitation should not be interpreted as the end of the movement.
“All the demands raised by the students must be fulfilled. Otherwise, it will amount to a breach of the assurance given by the government,” Paswan said.
The agitation had emerged as a major confrontation between student groups and the state government, with protesters demanding action over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, cancellation and re-conduct of disputed examinations, and accountability for those responsible. The government has taken a series of decisions in recent days amid the sustained protests and scrutiny of the recruitment examination system.
The students have now made it clear that the next two months will be a period of watchful waiting, with the possibility of renewed protests if they believe the government fails to deliver on its assurances.
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