ISLAMABAD: Students seeking government jobs in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand have been protesting for more than three weeks over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, demanding that disputed tests be canceled and investigated.
The students burned effigies of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav during a demonstration in the state capital, Ranchi. The protest had entered its 23rd day, according to a Press Trust of India report.
The dispute centers on examinations used to select candidates for government positions. Protesters are seeking cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination and a probe by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as per Press Trust of India.
The students’ campaign is being led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has raised allegations concerning recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission, as reported by The Times of India.
Press Trust of India reported that demonstrators carried the effigies in a procession from their protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk, where they set them on fire.
The government has sought another meeting with the protesters, Times of India reproted. Talks were scheduled for Monday after an earlier round failed to resolve the dispute.
Ravindra Paswan, a leader of the protesting group, said the campaign would be intensified if the demands were not addressed. The protesters have announced plans to surround the chief minister’s residence on August 20, as per Times of India.
The latest protest follows a confrontation on August 10, when students and other job aspirants marched toward the Jharkhand state assembly in Ranchi. Police used water cannons, tear gas and batons after protesters breached barricades. According to Times of India, four police officers and several protesters were injured in the confrontation, Times of India reported.
Ranchi police subsequently filed a first information report against 300 unidentified people in connection with the incident. Hindustan Times reported that the case involved allegations including clashes with security forces, damage to public property and attacks on police personnel and magistrates.
The Jharkhand dispute comes as students and young people in other parts of India have also protested over reported problems involving examinations and government recruitment.
In New Delhi, India’s capital, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has organized demonstrations at Jantar Mantar over reported examination irregularities, education-system reforms and accountability.
The Print reported that on July 20, protesters attempted to march toward Indian parliament, the seat of India’s national legislature. The CJP later ended its protest after talks with the government following Pradhan’s resignation on July 25.
In Jharkhand, however, the dispute over recruitment examinations remains unresolved, with protesters continuing to demand action by the state government and a CBI investigation.