‘Huge victory for Jharkhand’: Student leader Mahto ends 16-day hunger strike after Soren govt accepts demands

Stude t
leade
Mahto
e ded
his
fast
i
Ra chi
i
the
p ese ce
of
state
mi iste s
Dipika
Pa dey
Si gh
a d
I fa
A sa i.

NEW
DELHI:
Stude t
leade
Deve d a
Nath
Mahto
o
Mo day
late
ight
e ded
his
16-day
hu ge
st ike
afte
the
Jha kha d
gove me t
a ou ced
the
ca cellatio
of
the
JSSC-CGL
exami atio
a d
all
exami atio s
co ducted
by
TDPL,
calli g
the
decisio
a
“huge
victo y
fo
Jha kha d”.Mahto
e ded
his
fast
i
Ra chi
i
the
p ese ce
of
state
mi iste s
Dipika
Pa dey
Si gh
a d
I fa
A sa i.
He
tha ked
chief
mi iste
Hema t
So e ,
Co g ess
leade
Rahul
Ga dhi,
mi iste s
a d
othe s
who
suppo ted
the
stude ts’
agitatio .“Today
ma ks
the
16th
day
of
the
hu ge
st ike;
this
st uggle
bega
o
July
2 d,”
Mahto
said.He
said
the
gove me t
had
take
a
“bold
step”
by
ca celli g
the
JSSC-CGL
exami atio
eve
though
its
ec uitme t
p ocess
had
eached
the
joi i g
stage
a d
some
ca didates
had
al eady
secu ed
appoi tme ts.“I
tha k
the
Jha kha d
gove me t
fo
showi g
the
cou age
to
make
such
a
sig ifica t
decisio ,
ca celi g
a
exam
was
a
massive
challe ge,”
he
said.“Today
ma ks
a
huge
victo y
fo
Jha kha d.
While
I
am
ow
suspe di g
my
p otest,
my
st uggle
fo
efo m
will
co ti ue,”
Mahto
added.He
called
fo
st i ge t
efo ms
to
p eve t
pape
leaks
a d
i egula ities,
sayi g
eve y
exami atio
should
be
mo ito ed
a d
audited.“If
this
equi es
the
Legislative
Assembly
to
e act
ew
laws
o
ecessitates
a
co stitutio al
ame dme t,
the
so
be
it.

Eve y
exami atio
must
be
mo ito ed,
eve y
exami atio
must
be
audited,
a d
the e
must
be
a
clea
ce tificate
fo
eve y
exami atio
a d
at
eve y
stage;
we
will
co ti ue
to
st uggle
fo
this,”
he
said.”Co seque tly,
we
a e
a ou ci g
the
suspe sio
of
ou
peaceful
p otest
today.
While
we
will
co ti ue
to
st uggle
fo
fu the
efo ms.
I
tha k
the
Jha kha d
gove me t
fo
showi g
the
cou age
to
make
such
a
sig ifica t
decisio —ca celi g
a
exam
was
a
massive
challe ge.
It
was
ot
a
easy
call,
give
that
the
ec uitme t
p ocess
fo
the
JSSC
CGL
exami atio
had
al eady
eached
the
joi i g
stage
a d
ma y
stude ts
had
likely
al eady
secu ed
thei
positio s.
Yet,
co side i g
the
c itical
situatio ,
the
gove me t
took
this
bold
step
fo
the
stude ts……”
he
added.

So e
govt
sc aps
JSSC-CGL,
TDPL
examsCM
Hema t
So e
said
the
decisio
was
take
at
a
special
Cabi et
meeti g
afte
co side i g
the
co ce s
aised
by
the
p otesti g
stude ts.“Today,
we
held
a
special
Cabi et
meeti g
to
b i g
this
matte
to
a
co clusio .
Afte
co side i g
all
aspects
a d
fi di g
solutio s
to
the
issues,
we
have
decided
to
ca cel
all
exami atio s
co ducted
by
TDPL,
the
esults
published
by
TDPL,
a d
the
selectio
o
pa ticipatio
of
a y
ca didates
th ough
TDPL.
All
activities
u de take
by
TDPL
i
this
ega d
have
also
bee
ca celled,”
So e
said.The
gove me t
also
decided
to
ca cel
the
JSSC-CGL
exami atio s.
So e
said
the
gove me t
viewed
the
p otesti g
stude ts
as
you g
people
co ce ed
about
thei
futu e
a d
p omised
g eate
t a spa e cy
i
ec uitme t
efo ms.“I
do
ot
co side
these
you g
people
to
be
diffe e t
g oups.
They
a e
all
co ce ed
about
thei
futu e.
The
gove me t
will
move
ahead
with
complete
t a spa e cy
o
efo ms,”
he
said.He
said
a
existi g
sta da d
ope ati g
p ocedu e
(SOP)
should
have
p eve ted
the
alleged
i egula ities
a d
p omised
fu the
imp oveme ts
based
o
suggestio s
f om
stakeholde s.“The e
is
al eady
a
SOP
fo
co ducti g
exami atio s,
a d
if
it
had
bee
followed,
these
i egula ities
would
ot
have
occu ed.
Neve theless,
fu the
imp oveme ts
will
be
made
based
o
suggestio s
eceived,”
So e
said.The
gove me t
has
also
ope ed
a
po tal
fo
stude ts,
teache s
a d
pa e ts
to
submit
suggestio s
o
exami atio
efo ms.Govt
a ou ces
mo e
exam
ca cellatio s,
p obesJha kha d
mi iste
Dipika
Pa dey
Si gh
said
the
gove me t
would
also
ca cel
the
14th
JPSC
exami atio
a d
backlog
exami atio s.She
said
the
gove me t
would
w ite
to
the
E fo ceme t
Di ecto ate
to
i vestigate
alleged
fi a cial
misapp op iatio ,
while
the
CID
p obe
would
be
mo ito ed
by
the
judicia y.Mea while,
the
Jha kha d
CID
bega
sea ches
at
the
JSSC
office
i
Ra chi
as
pa t
of
its
i vestigatio
i to
alleged
i egula ities
i
ec uitme t
exami atio s.
CID
ADG
Ma oj
Kaushik
said
the
sea ches
we e
bei g
co ducted
i
co ectio
with
the
allegatio s.The
state
p obe
age cy
has
so
fa
a ested
20
people
i
the
case,
i cludi g
fo me
JPSC
chai ma
L
Khia gte.Th ee
stude t
leade s
e d
hu ge
st ikeMi iste
I fa
A sa i
said
Mahato,
Umme
Habiba
a d
Rahul
K a ti
volu ta ily
e ded
thei
hu ge
st ike
afte
the
gove me t
accepted
thei
dema ds.“Just
ow,
Deve d a
Mahato,
Umme
Habiba,
a d
Rahul
K a ti
volu ta ily
took
the
i itiative
to
e d
thei
hu ge
st ike.
We
facilitated
the
e d
of
thei
hu ge
st ike.
We
helped
them
b eak
thei
fast
by
givi g
them
juice,”
A sa i
said.He
said
the
agitatio
had
fo mally
e ded
followi g
effo ts
by
Dipika
Pa dey
Si gh
a d
Jai am
Mahato.“The
gove me t
has
accepted
all
thei
dema ds;
these
we e
sig ifica t
dema ds
a d
a
majo
issue.
Howeve ,
i
the
i te est
of
the
youth,
ou
Chief
Mi iste
took
such
a
histo ic
decisio ,”
A sa i
said.He
added
that,
“all
th ee
a e
healthy;
the e
a e
o
issues—thei
blood
p essu e
a d
blood
suga
levels
a e
o mal.
F om
the
i fo matio
I
have
eceived,
eve ythi g
is
fi e.”Stude ts
seek
withd awal
of
casesStude t
leade
Umme
Habiba
said
stude ts
wa ted
all
legal
actio
agai st
p oteste s
withd aw
a d
thei
ight
to
peaceful
p otest
espected.“A y
legal
actio ,
whethe
a
FIR
o
a y
p oposed
measu e
egiste ed
agai st
the
stude ts
should
be
withd aw ,
a d
the
ight
to
peaceful,
democ atic
p otest
must
be
espected,”
she
said.She
also
sought
the
ei stateme t
of
suspe ded
official
Sa tosh
Masta a
a d
actio
to
expedite
the
closu e
o
withd awal
of
CID
Case
No.
025.“I
am
st uggli g
fo
the
ights
of
Jha kha d’s
ca didates,
a
fai
ec uitme t
system,
a d
the
secu ity
of
thei
futu e,”
Habiba
said.Rahul
Ga dhi
backs
stude tsCo g ess
leade
Rahul
Ga dhi
had
ea lie
u ged
So e
to
pe so ally
meet
ep ese tatives
of
the
p otesti g
stude ts
a d
add ess
thei
co ce s.
I
a
lette
dated
August
14,
Rahul
desc ibed
the
agitatio
as
peaceful
a d
the
stude ts’
dema ds
as
legitimate.
He
also
backed
thei
ight
to
p otest
a d
said
Co g ess
stood
with
stude ts
aisi g
co ce s
ove
pape
leaks
a d
i egula ities
i
the
ec uitme t
system.

Jha kha d
Co g ess
i -cha ge
K
Raju
also
u ged
the
chief
mi iste
to
esolve
the
issue
at
the
ea liest.The
state
gove me t
has
a ou ced
seve al
measu es
aimed
at
maki g
ec uitme t
exami atio s
mo e
t a spa e t
a d
secu e.These
i clude
a
time-bou d
a ual
exami atio
cale da ,
tech ology-secu ed
exami atio s,
timely
publicatio
of
a swe
keys
a d
OMR
sheets,
a d
multi-level
accou tability
i
the
ec uitme t
p ocess.The
gove me t
has
also
i vited
suggestio s
f om
stude ts,
teache s,
educatio ists
a d
pa e ts
o
efo ms
to
the
exami atio
system.The
agitatio
had
i te sified
ea lie
this
mo th
whe
thousa ds
of
job
aspi a ts
ma ched
towa ds
the
Jha kha d
assembly
i
Ra chi.
Police
used
lathis,
tea
gas
a d
wate
ca o s
to
dispe se
p oteste s
afte
they
b eached
ba icades,
acco di g
to
epo ts.

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