Jharkhand Talks With Aspirants Enter Second Round, Govt Opens Feedback Email

RANCHI: The Jharkhand government held a second round of talks with agitating students of the JPSC-JSSC Aspirant Nyay Manch on Saturday, with an eight-member delegation meeting the government-appointed panel at the State Guest House. A separate 11-member student group had held discussions with the panel a day earlier.

The students have been protesting in Ranchi for 15 days over alleged irregularities in state job examinations. They are demanding the cancellation of the 14th Civil Services Preliminary Examination conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) on July 2, along with several other reforms.

No breakthrough was reported after Saturday's meeting. Jharkhand Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said the government team would continue engaging with the students. He also announced the release of an email ID — JPSSC.feedback@gmail.com — for suggestions from students and the public.

“We will continue to meet various student groups and stakeholders. Any student, individual, or stakeholder can send suggestions to this address. We intend to formulate a reform policy and reach a collective decision based on everyone's input,” Sonu said. Minister Dipika Pandey Singh added that the aspirants had explained the discrepancies in recruitment processes in detail during the meeting.

Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for a week, said the agitation would continue until all demands were met. “Had the government agreed to our demands when the other students met them, it wouldn't have been necessary for us to go as well. It doesn't matter how many of us go to meet them. All of us have the same demands, which should be fulfilled,” Mahto said.

The protesters, camped at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, have submitted a list of demands. These include the cancellation of all JSSC CGL, JSSC JE, and PGT examinations conducted after 2019, a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities, and strict action against “mafias and agencies involved.” They are also seeking disclosure of category-wise cut-offs — UR, EWS, BC-I, BC-II, SC, ST — along with OMR copies and response sheets for transparency, and a recruitment calendar modelled on UPSC/SSC standards.

In a related development, the Jharkhand High Court has taken a stern view of the repeated delays in conducting the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET), which has not been held for nearly nine years. The court has issued a show-cause notice to Umashankar Singh, Secretary of the School Education and Literacy Department, asking why contempt charges should not be framed against him for failing to comply with the court's order to conduct the exam.

During a previous hearing, Singh had assured the court that the TET would be conducted within three months. However, the deadline expired without the exam being held. The High Court has now sought a clear explanation from the department for the non-compliance.