Surendra Soren
Ranchi
The JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum on Thursday accused the Jharkhand government of betraying students and announced plans to intensify its agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, forum leader Ravindra Paswan said students had been holding a peaceful indefinite sit-in and hunger strike for the past 26 days, demanding action against alleged irregularities in examinations, cancellation of the JSSC CGL and other examinations, and an impartial probe into the matter.
Paswan said the state government had cancelled 22 examinations following the students’ demands, leading them to believe that the government was taking their concerns seriously. However, he claimed the government was unwilling to agree to a CBI probe. The forum subsequently demanded a judicial inquiry and suspended its agitation after giving the government two months to act.
He alleged that students had suspended the movement in good faith, but the government’s stand before the High Court had now raised questions over its intentions. “It appears that the government’s sole objective was to somehow bring the student movement to an end,” Paswan said.
He warned that the forum could mobilise lakhs of students in Ranchi and resume the agitation even before the two-month deadline if the situation warranted.
Paswan announced that the forum would burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren in all 24 districts of Jharkhand on Friday as part of its protest.
Forum leader Kunal Pratap alleged that despite the students’ 26-day peaceful agitation, the government had failed to adequately represent their concerns in court. He claimed that the Advocate General did not appear on behalf of the government during the High Court proceedings and that the government counsel also failed to strongly present the state’s position.
Pratap said the alleged absence of a strong government stand on such an important issue concerning students raised serious questions. He further alleged that the government had created a situation aimed at bringing the agitation to an end.
Referring to the examination conducted by TDPL, Pratap said the Chief Minister had earlier stated that examinations conducted by the agency would be cancelled and that irregularities had occurred in those examinations. He said students were therefore justified in questioning the government’s present stand.
Taking a political swipe at the government, Pratap said students who had earlier used the slogan “Hemant hai toh himmat hai” were now disappointed with the government’s approach. He added that, in the present circumstances, “Hemant hai toh dikkat hai” would also be an apt slogan.
Pratap said the students had even withdrawn their demand for a CBI probe after the government repeatedly described it as a political issue and had instead placed their faith in the state government. He also questioned the outcome of the CID investigation, saying students had nevertheless continued to trust the government.
He warned that if the government continued to maintain what he described as a questionable stand before the court and students failed to get justice, the agitation could be revived before the two-month deadline. He said lakhs of students from across Jharkhand could mobilise in Ranchi.
Another forum leader, Piyush Kumar, alleged that the government had done little in court to safeguard the interests of the students. He warned of what he described as an impending “Ulgulan and Sampoorna Kranti” in Jharkhand and said the forum would now also demand the resignation of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
The forum said its next course of action would depend on the government’s response and the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings.
