Jharkhand Government to Meet Protesters Amid Allegations of Public Service Commission Irregularities

An 11-member delegation of protesters is set to meet the Jharkhand government to try and break the impasse over alleged irregularities in the state’s public service and staff selection commissions , organisers said. This comes a day after Governor Santosh Gangwar met Chief Minister Hemant Soren as protests for wider reforms intensified in the state. According to protest organisers JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, a list of 11 members has been drawn up to lead talks with the Hemant Soren government’s three-member delegation. The government’s delegation will have one member each from the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), sources said. Although the meeting was expected to take place Thursday evening, it has yet to happen. “We have formed an 11-member delegation, comprising eight students, two experts (journalists) and an advocate, in response to the government’s offer to hold talks in connection with the stir,” an office bearer of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, the organisers of the protest, said. The developments come at a time when the protesters roiled the Monsoon Session of the Jharkhand Assembly, where the Opposition BJP wore masks and carried printed messages demanding the government’s reply over the alleged irregularities. Legislators have demanded a CBI probe into the allegations. It also comes a day after Soren met Governor Santosh Gangwar to assure him of action. In a statement Wednesday, Lok Bhawan said the governor was “apprised of the appointment processes of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), as well as matters related to the student movement. “The chief minister assured that the state government is committed to ensuring justice for the students. He stated that the government would ensure no injustice occurred against the youth and that necessary action would be taken,” it said. The protests also rocked the first day of the Monsoon Session in the Jharkhand Assembly, with BJP legislators wearing masks in symbolic protest. BJP chief whip Naveen Jaiswal alleged that the government was “selling” the future of Jharkhand’s youths. “The government has set up a committee. But it should know that nobody trusts the CID and the government’s committee. The probe should be conducted by the CBI,” he said. Reacting to BJP’s allegations, Jharkhand Minister Sudivya Kumar said on Thursday that the government was serious about the issue raised by the students. “I would like to thank the students who have given a positive response. A fruitful discussion is possible today,” he said. As student unions in the state proposed picketing at the assembly on August 7 and 10, a prohibitory order has been promulgated within a 750-metre radius of the building from August 6 to 12. The order will be in place between 6 am and 10 pm on these days. Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has expressed his solidarity with protesters. In a post on X, Gandhi said: “The student movements taking place across the country are against the education system. I have said this clearly- I said it in Dehradun. Our education system has collapsed. It is extremely expensive and oppressive. Every government should listen to students. Action should be taken to change this system, whether it is a Congress government, an NDA government, or the Jharkhand government”. The controversy began soon after the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) declared the preliminary examination results of the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination earlier this month. The Commission shortlisted 2,204 candidates for the Main examination against 103 vacancies, but allegations of irregularities began soon after. Around 3.5 lakh people took the exam. At the heart of the protests, which come against the backdrop of developments at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, are allegations of paper leaks in the exam. The demonstrators have been demanding cancellation of the examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment test either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state. The Hemant Soren government has tried to act fast — 16 people have been arrested, and the Chief Minister has said they stand with the youth. Chief Minister Hemant Soren said Wednesday the question paper leak issue is a national problem, and offered talks to resolve the impasse. — With PTI inputs