Jharkhand Protest: The ongoing agitation in Ranchi against the alleged irregularities in the state's recruitment examinations continued for the 19th day today, with no breakthrough in talks between the protesters and the government. Meanwhile, the health condition of four student protesters who were on hunger strike and are undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital is stable, officials said on Wednesday.
According to a report by the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), despite an assembly march, police action, and several rounds of negotiations, the deadlock remains unresolved. The protesters have placed two principal demands before the government, with no consensus emerging till now.
2 Key Demands Of Protesters
The first demand is the cancellation of the 2024 JSSC-CGL examination. More than 2,000 appointments have already been made through this examination, with the selected candidates currently serving in various government departments. The state government argues that cancelling the examination at this stage would be impractical. According to the government, the recruitment process proceeded only after court orders cleared the way for appointments.
The students' second major demand is a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in all disputed examinations conducted by the JPSC and JSSC. The state government has not agreed to this demand either. Instead, it has proposed constituting a high-level committee headed by a retired judge to examine the issues.
Students' Health
According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), citing a core committee member of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, two protesters, Habiba and Rahul Kranti, who have been on hunger strike, are undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital. Habiba was admitted on Tuesday, while Kranti was taken to the hospital on August 7.
Two other protesters, Devendra Nath Mahto and Mahendra Pratap, who were on hunger strike are receiving treatment in the same hospital. "The health condition of all four students is stable. Check-ups and regular monitoring of their health are being done periodically," the deputy superintendent of Sadar Hospital said.
State Health Minister Irfan Ansari told reporters on Wednesday that he had visited the hospital and met the protesters undergoing treatment. "I am urging students not to risk their lives by sitting on a hunger strike. The government has already constituted a team, dialogues have been held, and more will be held," Ansari said.