Jharkhand students name 11-member team for talks with state government

Students and JPSC-JSSC aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in state recruitment exams have named an 11-member team to hold talks with the Jharkhand government. The delegation includes eight students, one lawyer, and two technical experts, according to an office bearer of the 'JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.' The list was submitted to the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) on Friday, the 14th day of the protest.

Six demonstrators have been on a hunger strike for four days at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi. The protest, which began July 25, has become one of the biggest student-led movements in the state in recent years. Hundreds of students are demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Combined Civil Services Examination and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam.

The students are also calling for the cancellation of the 14th JPSC civil services examination and comprehensive reforms in both the JPSC and the JSSC. They have demanded a review of exams conducted through TDPL agencies.

Jharkhand Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey confirmed Thursday that 19 people have been arrested in the alleged recruitment scam. Former JPSC chairman L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28, an officer said Wednesday.