New Delhi: After a marathon meeting Sunday with a students’ delegation in Ranchi, the Jharkhand government said it has agreed to “98 percent” of their demands, including the possibility of an ED probe into the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Exam (CSE). It did not, however, agree to the demand for cancellation of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam or a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in government recruitment exams.
Contesting the government’s claim, student leader Ravindra Paswan said that more than 50 percent demands have been met, including that the government is considering cancelling the 14th JPSC, JPSC Backlog 2023 and JPSC Backlog 2025 exams. Additionally, he said that the government has agreed for a CID and ED probe into all the exams conducted by the blacklisted agency, TDPL, which has emerged as an accused in the CID probe by the government.
“On the issue of CGL exam, we had demanded that there should be a CBI probe into it, but the government has not agreed to this…Instead, the government proposed a judicial enquiry under the chairmanship of a retired judge, and if there are financial irregularities, then ED would be involved. But we students want a CBI inquiry,” he said, adding that the agitation will continue.
After the meeting, Jharkhand’s Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar told the media, “Following three days of talks and extensive consultations, and acting on the instructions of CM Hemant Soren, the government decided to address the irregularities associated with the 14th GPSC and the 2023-25 backlog recruitments through a two-pronged approach. Criminal aspects will be investigated by the CID; furthermore, given the financial implications and evidence of illicit financial transactions, a request will be made for an ED investigation.”
He said that following this, a fast-track court will be constituted, and charge sheets against the accused will be filed within 90 days.
On the students’ demand for structural reforms in recruitment exams, the government said that a committee comprising experts from IIT-ISM, IIM Ranchi, and XLRI would be formed to oversee the reforms.
The protesting students had also demanded cancellation of Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission CGL exam held in 2024. In response, the government said it lacks the authority to cancel the exam since the courts are monitoring the probe.
It offered to constitute a monitoring committee under a retire judge to monitor this probe. However, the students did not agree to this proposal.
“We believe the government agreed to 98 percent of the points raised. The remaining two percent—specifically the demand to cancel the CGL exam—could not be met because the government cannot unilaterally cancel an exam conducted under court orders, where results have been published and successful candidates are already employed,” Kumar said.
He also told the media that the government was willing to form a committee headed by a retired judge to oversee the CID’s probe, thereby providing a channel for students to voice their concerns if they felt the CID was not listening to them. “Overall, after these processes and efforts, we believe the government demonstrated genuine goodwill and sensitivity toward the students in its attempt to bring the protests to a close,” he said.
Nine students were part of the delegation that met government officials Sunday. They are Ravindra Paswan, Piyush, Ravindra Ravi, Pankaj Saha, Rajesh Prasad, Shashank, Anand, Kartik Soren and Ankit Kumar.
The government has formed a five-member committee to talk to the protesting students. This committee includes four Cabinet ministers, along with an Additional Chief Secretary-rank officer.
The four ministers are Jharkhand’s Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, Minister for Labour, Employment, Training and Skill Development Sanjay Prasad Yadav, and Minister of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Backward Class Welfare Chamra Linda. Yadav is from RJD, Singh is a Congress leader, while Kumar and Linda are leaders of Soren’s JMM.
Earlier on Saturday, eight members of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch met the government delegation at a guesthouse in Morabadi. Apart from them, JMM’s students’ wing, the Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha (JCM), and Congress party’s student wing NSUI have also placed their demands before the government.
Addressing the media after the talks, Sudivya Kumar also announced Saturday that the state government has released a dedicated email ID for students to send in their suggestions and demands. The email is JPSSC.feedback@gmail.com.
Kumar had also said that in addition to representatives of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, the government is also meeting other groups of students, including representatives of NSUI and JCM.
However, in response, student leader Ravindra Paswan had then called a press conference objecting to the government receiving memoranda from other organisations as well. “Why are they doing this… What is their intention?… Why are they taking memoranda from NSUI? NSUI is the Congress student wing. What kind of demands would they make? Why are they not on the street protesting against the government?.. The government is playing games, trying to fragment this movement into two-three different factions,” he told the media.
He warned the government that it should accept their demands, or that students from Jharkhand will arrive in Ranchi for the ‘Vidhan Sabha’ march scheduled for 10 August.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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