"Govt playing games...": Student leader calls for unity among protestors pressing for JPSC-JSSC reforms

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 9 : Amid ongoing protests over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment examinations, student leader Ravindra Paswan accused the state government of attempting to fragment the movement and warned of a massive 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march on August 10 if demands were not met.
Speaking to reporters here, Paswan on Saturday said the protesting students have been staging an indefinite sit-in for the past 15 days and had held the first round of talks with a government delegation on Friday, during which they presented their demands, including cancellation of certain examinations, a CBI probe and reforms in the recruitment process.
"We called this press conference to address the confusion being spread in Jharkhand. We have been staging an indefinite sit-in protest for the past 15 days. We received an invitation from the government for a delegation meeting, and our first round of talks with the government delegation concluded yesterday, during which we presented our demands in detail and with logical reasoning, specifically which exams we are demanding be cancelled and the reasons behind it. We are demanding a CBI investigation and are calling for reforms," Paswan said.
He said the government delegation heard their demands and assured them that the issues would be placed before the Chief Minister Hemant Soren for consideration, following which the students would be invited to a second round of talks.
"The government delegation listened to our demands very carefully and stated that they would place them before the Chief Minister for consideration and invite us for a second round of talks," he said.
The students have been protesting over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations. A fresh round of talks with protesting students is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Jharkhand Minister Deepika Pandey Singh informed earlier.
However, Paswan expressed displeasure over the government's move to accept memoranda from several other organisations, alleging that it was an attempt to divide the ongoing movement.
"What we have witnessed from the government's side today has left us very upset. Look at the game the government is playing: today, they accepted memoranda from about 6-7 other organisations. Why are they doing this? What is their intention?" he said.
Questioning the state government's decision to receive a memorandum from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the Congress' student wing, Paswan added, "Why are they taking memoranda from NSUI? NSUI is the Congress student wing. What kind of demands would they make? Why are they not on the street protesting against the government?"
"The government is playing games, trying to fragment this movement into 2-3 different factions," he alleged.
Paswan asserted that students across Jharkhand remained united and said the government should accept their demands at the earliest.
"All the students of Jharkhand stand united on a single platform. The government must accept our legitimate demands as soon as possible; otherwise, for the 'Vidhan Sabha March' we have announced for the 10th, 50,000-100,000 students from across Jharkhand will arrive, and that protest will be decisive," he said.
"This is what we want to convey to the government. Accountability must be fixed that day, and you will have to officially endorse our demands," he added.
Furthermore, student leader Sheetal Tirki also appealed to students to remain united and participate in the proposed march to the Legislative Assembly.
"I want to convey a message to all the genuine students here: we have been staging protests and hunger strikes for a long time, so I urge everyone not to let themselves be led astray. We must stand united and remain steadfast in our demands. If we lose our way now, future generations will remain lost forever," Tirki told reporters.
"We must stand together; I call upon all my brothers and sisters to unite. On the 10th, we will gather in large numbers to participate in a march to the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) to show the government that we are neither broken nor weak, for our demands are legitimate," she said.
Tirki said the students had submitted evidence-backed demands to the government and urged more students to join the march.
"We have presented our demands to the government, backed by evidence, and I urge them to understand that we are not asking for anything unreasonable. We must unite for this cause, and I call upon everyone to come and join the March toward the Legislative Assembly on the 10th," she added.
Earlier on Friday, an 11-member delegation of agitating JPSC and JSSC aspirants in Ranchi met with Jharkhand Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu. The delegation comprised eight student representatives, one lawyer and two technical experts. After the meeting, Minister Sonu announced that the state government has released a dedicated email ID to collect suggestions from students and stakeholders for policy reforms.
The protests started after the results of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination were announced on July 5, with aspirants alleging irregularities in the recruitment process. Since then, students have been holding round-the-clock protests and an indefinite sit-in, demanding transparency and accountability.
The protesters at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi demanded cancellation of all JSSC CGL, JSSC JE, and PGT exams after 2019, a CBI investigation into the irregularities, strict action against the "mafias and agencies involved", disclosure of category-wise cut-offs (UR, EWS, BC-I, BC-II, SC, ST), OMR copies, and response sheets for transparency regarding the process and a recruitment calendar modelled after UPSC/SSC standards.