Jharkhand students burn effigies of CM Soren, Rahul Gandhi; govt offers fourth round of talks

Ranchi: On the 23rd day of their protest, students at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium burnt effigies of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing the State Government of not taking their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in competitive examinations seriously.

Similar demonstrations took place in other districts, with protesters raising slogans against the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government and the Congress, which they said had promised to withdraw support to the government if the demands were not met by Independence Day.

Later in the day, the State Government invited the protest leaders for a fourth round of talks, according to a Ranchi district official who has been coordinating with the students.

Hundreds of students have been camping at the stadium since July 25, demanding a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Combined Civil Services Examination and the Jharkhand General Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination, also known as the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam, among others.

Ravindra Paswan, leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, said that when the agitation began, Mr. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had assured students that if Mr. Soren did not take positive steps or provide a satisfactory response by August 15, the Congress would withdraw support to the JMM-led government. However, even after that date, no concrete action has been taken, Mr. Paswan said.

“We have already announced that if the government does not listen to our demands by August 18, we will gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20. We have no other option left,” he added.

Kumar Rajat, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Ranchi Sadar, and Dhananjay Kumar, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Law and Order, met the protesters in the evening with the government’s proposals. Mr. Rajat confirmed that students have been invited for talks between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday at the State guest house in Ranchi. This would be the fourth round of negotiations.

Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, posted a video of the effigy burning on X. “The students have given a clear message to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Rahul Gandhi through the effigy burning that they are not ones to bow down,” he said in his post. He added that the students have been peacefully protesting for 22 days demanding a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations.

“The anti-student face of Congress-JMM-RJD is exposed now. In front of student power and their struggle, the government’s arrogance has shattered. Now there will be a decisive fight; those playing with the students’ future will not escape this time,” Mr. Marandi further stated.

The protest, which began over alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, has drawn attention to the handling of public examinations in the state. The government has previously held three rounds of talks, but no resolution has been reached so far. The upcoming fourth round is seen as a crucial step toward ending the impasse.