The agitation by JPSC-JSSC aspirants in Jharkhand continued to gather momentum on Sunday as protesting students remained firm on their demands despite several rounds of discussions with the state government. With no breakthrough achieved after multiple meetings, the Hemant Soren government scheduled another round of talks with student representatives. The protesters are demanding a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), along with comprehensive reforms to ensure transparency and fairness in future recruitment processes.
As the protest entered its fifteenth day, students continued their indefinite hunger strike at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi. A medical team from Sadar Hospital examined the fasting protesters and confirmed that although several students had lost weight, they declined hospitalisation and chose to continue their protest. Student leaders accused the government of attempting to divide the movement by holding separate discussions with various student organisations instead of directly addressing the main protest group. They insisted that only direct talks with Chief Minister Hemant Soren and concrete action on their demands would help resolve the crisis, warning that a large-scale Vidhan Sabha Gherao would be organised if no satisfactory decision was reached.
Political support for the agitation has also grown, with Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) MLA Jairam Mahto observing a one-day hunger strike in solidarity with the students. Leaders from several political parties described the protest as a mass movement reflecting widespread frustration over delayed examinations, alleged corruption and recruitment irregularities in the state. The students maintain that their demands include cancellation of tainted examinations, an independent CBI probe and structural reforms in the recruitment system to restore public confidence. Meanwhile, all eyes remain on the latest round of government negotiations, which could determine the future course of one of Jharkhand’s largest student-led protests in recent years.
