Ranchi Protests: Student Delegation Meets Jharkhand Ministers, Demands Exam Cancellations, CBI-ED Probe

Ranchi: A state government delegation comprising four ministers and an 11-member delegation representing Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examination aspirants held a meeting at the state guest house in Ranchi on Friday.

The talks follow ongoing protests by candidates at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, student leader Ravindra Paswan confirmed that the delegation would voice the concerns of the protesting youth. "All our demands are essential; we will not consider the dialogue successful if even one of those demands is not accepted, and we will continue our protest," Paswan stated.

Speaking before leaving for the meeting, Paswan said, "Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) gave us a message that the government is ready to have a dialogue with us. Our delegation team is going to the State Guest House for the dialogue. We will reach there at the earliest."

He assured the protesting students that the delegation would represent their concerns during the discussion.

"I would like to assure all the students and youth of Jharkhand that our delegation team is going there as your representative. I hope that the dialogue with the CM and his team will be successful," Paswan said.

The aspirants' demands have been categorised into three core areas: Demanding the cancellation of JSSC exams, all examinations conducted by the TDPL agency, and any tests linked to Abhay Tiwari, pressing for thorough probes by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and calling for structural and operational improvements within both the JPSC and JSSC.

Paswan said, "Our main demands have been categorised into three - cancellation, investigation and reforms. Under cancellation, we are mainly demanding cancellation of JSSC and all exams conducted by the TDPL agency. We are also demanding cancellation of all those exams which had the involvement of Abhay Tiwari," he said.

He added, "As far as investigation is concerned, we are demanding both CBI and ED investigation. Reforms need to be made to JPSC and JSSC."

Earlier in the day, CM Hemant Soren reached out to the agitating JPSC and JSSC aspirants in Ranchi, stating that the government is ready for dialogue and committed to implementing robust reforms to meet student aspirations.

The Chief Minister's remarks come amid ongoing protests by students and candidates at the Jaipal Singh Stadium regarding recruitment examinations in the state.

"We have already specified a channel of communication. We are ready to talk. The government is keen to understand the issues faced by every student. We are now trying to take the students' wishes beyond the confines of Jaipal Singh Stadium," CM Soren said.

Emphasising the state's intent to fix systemic issues, he added, "Our goal is to move forward with significant, robust reforms that address these student aspirations in a manner that aligns with their needs."