Jharkhand Protest: The protest against alleged examination irregularities in Jharkhand entered its Day 13 today with six demonstrators on hunger strike. The stir has gained steam over the past 13 days over the alleged irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam, Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination, and other recruitment tests, demanding a CBI probe and reforms in the recruitment agencies.
Five protesters, including two women, have joined student leader Devendra Nath Mahto in his hunger strike. He has been on fast for the past five days, as per reports. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who recently observed a 26-day hunger strike in Delhi over the NEET paper leak issue, spoke to Mahto over the phone and urged him to at least drink water to safeguard his health.
According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), the stir has intensified today with opposition MLAs protesting on Assembly premises on the first day of its Monsoon Session. The protest, which began on July 25 under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, emerged as one of the biggest student-led movements in the state in recent years, the PTI stated.
One of the fasting protesters, Sabita Kumari, said the government had "ignored" students' concerns, leaving them with no alternative but to intensify their agitation. According to the report, as student unions in the state proposed picketing the Assembly on August 7 and 10, a prohibitory order has been issued within a 750-metre radius of the building from August 6 to 12, between 6 am and 10 pm.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday said the question paper leak issues are a national problem and offered talks to resolve the impasse.
"So far, 19 people have been arrested, five of them on Wednesday. Former JPSC chairman L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28," the PTI reported, citing an official.