The ongoing standoff between protesting students and the Jharkhand government intensified on Saturday night, with the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch accusing the state administration of attempting to dilute and divide their movement even as discussions with a high-level government committee remain pending.
Students who have been observing an indefinite sit-in for the past 15 days over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) addressed a press conference at Jaipal Singh Stadium and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government's approach.
The Reform Manch had held its first round of talks with the government on Friday. However, the government subsequently met another group of students on Saturday and also invited suggestions from student organisations through email. The developments have triggered anger among those leading the ongoing protest.
Ravindra Kumar Paswan, a representative of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, said the group had received no communication from the government regarding a second round of discussions after Friday's meeting. He said the students were prepared to end the agitation if their demands were formally accepted through a written assurance or an official government notification.
“We are yet to receive any communication regarding the second round of talks. If the government wants to hold discussions on Sunday, it is for it to decide when to call us. We are ready to withdraw the protest if our demands are fulfilled through a written assurance or official notification. Verbal assurances alone will not be sufficient,” Kumar said.
He alleged that instead of taking steps towards resolving the issue, the government appeared to be making efforts to weaken the agitation. “We have clearly placed our demands before the government and remain firm on them. Whatever approach the government adopts, we will respond accordingly,” he said.
Student leaders maintained that all their demands, along with detailed arguments supporting them, had already been presented before the government delegation during Friday's meeting. According to them, the officials had listened to their concerns and assured them that the issues would be conveyed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The protesters, however, questioned the government's decision to entertain memoranda from different student organisations on Saturday. They said the move had raised doubts about whether an attempt was being made to create divisions within the agitation.
They questioned why separate memoranda were being sought from organisations that, according to them, had not played a visible role in the ongoing agitation. The protesters alleged that the move could be aimed at splitting the movement into two or three groups and creating an impression that students were divided in their support for various organisations.
The protesters also raised questions over the government's decision to accept memoranda from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the student wing of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). They pointed out that NSUI is affiliated with the Congress, while the JMM's student organisation is linked to the ruling party in Jharkhand.
The Reform Manch has sought a clear explanation from the government on why memoranda from these particular organisations were accepted and what objective the administration intends to achieve through the exercise.
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