Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
The agitation by students demanding action over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations entered its 23rd day on Sunday, with patience among the protesters at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi appearing to wear thin.
The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, spearheading the agitation, has announced a change in its strategy, saying the students would now launch an “all-out” struggle against the state government. The protesters said their peaceful, Gandhian-style agitation had failed to draw the government’s attention and that they were now compelled to intensify the movement.
As part of the escalation, students organised effigy-burning programmes across all districts of the state on August 16, targeting Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In Ranchi, the programme was held at Albert Ekka Chowk.
The protesters announced that they would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20 if the government failed to act on their demands. They said the protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence would continue until their demands were met.
The students also expressed strong resentment over Rahul Gandhi’s response to the agitation. They said Gandhi had spoken to protesting students over the phone but alleged that no concrete solution had emerged despite the interaction.
Reiterating their demands, the protesters called for cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination, along with the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations and the JSSC CGL examination. They also demanded that the alleged irregularities in these examinations be investigated exclusively by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Following the announcement of the proposed gherao, security arrangements around the Chief Minister’s residence have been strengthened. Senior police and administrative officials have been holding talks with the protesting students in an attempt to defuse the situation.
However, the agitators have maintained that they will not withdraw their protest until the government accepts their demands, raising concerns over a possible escalation of the agitation in the coming days.
