Students in Jharkhand are escalating their protest against alleged recruitment examination irregularities with a 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march in Ranchi today. Police have implemented heightened security measures, including Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, in anticipation of the demonstration. Despite ongoing negotiations, a significant gap persists between the government's concessions, which include canceling the 14th JPSC exam, and the students' core demands, such as a CBI inquiry and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination. Student leaders have stressed their commitment to a peaceful and democratic protest while warning against any attempts to disrupt the movement or politicize the agitation, signaling that the protest will continue until all demands are met.

Students in Jharkhand are escalating their protest against alleged recruitment examination irregularities with a 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march in Ranchi today. Police have implemented heightened security measures, including Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, in anticipation of the demonstration. Despite ongoing negotiations, a significant gap persists between the government's concessions, which include canceling the 14th JPSC exam, and the students' core demands, such as a CBI inquiry and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination. Student leaders have stressed their commitment to a peaceful and democratic protest while warning against any attempts to disrupt the movement or politicize the agitation, signaling that the protest will continue until all demands are met.

Students in Jharkhand are escalating their protest against alleged recruitment examination irregularities with a 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march in Ranchi today. Police have implemented heightened security measures, including Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, in anticipation of the demonstration. Despite ongoing negotiations, a significant gap persists between the government's concessions, which include canceling the 14th JPSC exam, and the students' core demands, such as a CBI inquiry and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination. Student leaders have stressed their commitment to a peaceful and democratic protest while warning against any attempts to disrupt the movement or politicize the agitation, signaling that the protest will continue until all demands are met.

Students protesting against alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations in Jharkhand will hold a ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march in Ranchi today, prompting police to tighten security across the city.

Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has also been imposed within a 750-metre radius of the state Assembly from 6 am to 10 pm. Police have also installed razor fencing along the route near Jagannath Temple. Most schools in the city will remain closed.

Ranchi SSP Rakesh Ranjan said that maintaining law and order during the march is everyone's responsibility.

"We do not want a blot on the career of any student due to disruption of law and order. Barricades have been put in place at major points with the deployment of adequate police force across the city," the SSP said.

Hundreds of students, especially aspirants for the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations, have been protesting in Ranchi for the last few weeks, raising various demands, including the cancellation of examinations, an investigation into alleged irregularities and reforms to the recruitment process.

On Sunday, the government and the protesting students held the sixth round of talks but failed to reach a breakthrough, with both sides accusing each other of not being serious about resolving the matter.

While the government maintains that the authorities had conceded to “98 per cent of the demands” raised by the students, the protesters dismissed the claim and stuck to their demand for a CBI probe into the alleged anomalies.

Student leader Ravindra Paswan accused the government of spreading a “false narrative” about the outcome of the negotiations and appealed to students across Jharkhand to participate in the August 10 ‘Vidhan Sabha March’.

The student leader said Monday’s march would remain peaceful and democratic and appealed to political parties and the public to extend moral support without giving the agitation a political colour.

He also cautioned against attempts by anti-social elements to disrupt the demonstration.

“If any anti-social element or unruly individual attempts to weaken or incite violence within our movement, we students will firmly oppose them and hand them over to the police,” Paswan said.

The government has agreed to the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination, proposed an Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged financial irregularities in the JPSC examination, and also announced a fast-track court that would file charge sheets within 90 days in cases relating to examination “irregularities”.

It has also proposed an expert panel comprising representatives from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur to recommend examination reforms, besides a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to examine the JSSC-CGL issue.

Sanjay Mehta, another student leader, said that despite multiple rounds of discussions with the government, many of their demands had not been accepted.

“Our crucial demands are that the CGL examination must be cancelled, a CBI inquiry into the CGL matter must be conducted, the government must accept the reform model we have proposed, and it must adhere to the recruitment calendar we have suggested. If the government fails to meet even a single one of these demands, the movement will continue until they are fulfilled,” he said.

TAGS