. Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahato has entered his 11th day of hunger strike on Wednesday. He continued his hunger strike even though he was admitted to the hospital after his health deteriorated.
Mahato has been protesting in favour of lakhs of students alleging irregularities in the recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
The student unions have warned that if their demands are not addressed, they will intensify the agitation and turn it into a people’s movement.
According to the protesters, around
50,000 students took part in the assembly gherao in Ranchi on August 10. According to student leader Rabindra Paswan, despite the administration’s efforts to stop students from coming to Ranchi from different districts, a large number of students took to the streets.
During the demonstration, there was a clash between the police and the protesters.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The protesters accused the police of baton-charging students and journalists.
Paswan, a student leader, said that although the police administration initially cooperated with him, his attitude changed suddenly after evening.
According to him, force was used to remove the student. He also objected to the deployment of male police on female protesters.
Another
student leader, Piyush Kumar, also accused the state government of using force to suppress the agitation. He claimed that not only students but also journalists were victims of police action. He said the agitation would continue until their demands were met and more stringent programmes would be unveiled soon.
However, the protesters have said that they are still ready for talks with the state government.
They said that although they wanted to resolve the problem through dialogue with the administration, the use of force was not acceptable.
According to the protesters, the administration has asked for the names and addresses of the core committee members who are leading the movement.
Student leaders said they were ready to provide the necessary details as they were not criminals but students.
The students have demanded cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities and comprehensive reforms in the recruitment process. The agitators have urged the Chief Minister to fulfill their demands immediately.
They warned that if their demands were ignored, the agitation could go beyond a limited protest by the students and turn into a mass movement. ANI
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्
