Jharkhand Protest: The Jharkhand government has started fresh talks on Sunday with the aspirants protesting against the alleged recruitment exam irregularities for the 16th day now. Meanwhile, the condition of student leader Devenedra Nath Mahto, who has been on indefinite hunger strike for around a week now at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Stadium, suddenly deteriorated around 3 am.
The decision to hold another round of talks was taken after a series of meetings between the government and student groups on Friday night and throughout Saturday failed to break the deadlock. As per reports, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch accused the Jharkhand government of "political manoeuvring" by announcing another round of talks with student organisations, alleging the move was aimed at creating divisions among protesting students and diverting people's attention from their core demands.
Students' Health Deteriorate
Doctors have recorded Devendra Nath Mahto's blood glucose level at 53. Another student on fast, Rahul Kranti, is under medical supervision at Sadar Hospital's intensive care unit. In total, six protesters are on an indefinite hunger strike.
Discussions With Student Groups
The state government on Friday night held discussions with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch. Throughout the next day, it held four rounds of talks with different student groups, including the Congress' student wing NSUI, Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha (JCM) and Adivasi Chhatra Sangh (ACS).
However, since the meetings remained inconclusive, the government decided to hold a sixth round of talks with student representatives around 12 pm on Sunday.
Claims Of 'Political Manoeuvring'
According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), a prominent student faction has termed the Chief Minister Hemant Soren dispensation's move "political manoeuvring". Ravindra Paswan, a leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, claimed the government was attempting to weaken the agitation by holding discussions with organisations that had "played no role in the ongoing protest".
"This is political manoeuvring by the government. It is trying to create a divide among students and divert attention. But they should know that all students are united," he said.
The government, however, said the discussions were positive and that it was considering the concerns raised by the protesters. 19 people have so far been arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in JPSC exams, while former panel chairperson L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28, the PTI reported.
Despite the talks, the protesters have maintained that their agitation will continue until all their demands are fulfilled. They have also announced a march to the Assembly on August 10 if the government fails to meet their demands by Sunday.
