Jharkhand govt holds talks with protesting students, promises to consider demands

NEW DELHI: Jharkhand government on Friday said it was ready to consider the demands of protesting students after a delegation of ministers met representatives of the JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch.According to the students’ delegation, the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, with the government assuring them that their demands would be considered.“We met the delegation of student protesters. The government is ready to consider their demands sympathetically,” Jharkhand minister Sudivya Kumar said after the meeting.The talks came as the government sought to resolve the ongoing agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.According to the JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch, four of the five members of the government’s panel – ministers Sudivya Kumar, Dipika Pandey Singh, Chamra Linda and Sanjay Prasad Yadav – attended the meeting.The protesters have been demanding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities, either by the CBI or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.

The protest over the alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) recruitment examinations entered Day 14 on Friday, with six protesters continuing their hunger strike.Earlier, the protesting students submitted a fresh 10-member panel to the state government for talks after the government objected to the previous 11-member panel, which included an advocate and two technical experts, the Manch said.The new delegation comprises student leaders Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar, Rajesh Prasad, Neetu Kujur, Ankit Raj, Kartik Soren, Shalu Kumari, Ravindra Kumar Ravi, Anand Kumar and Ankit Kumar.