Jharkhand protests: CID arrests 5 more; students open to dialogue with Soren govt

Published 6 August 2026 · local

The state government has repeatedly stressed its willingness to engage with the protesters. Here are the top developments Students agree to talks, but seek public

The state government has repeatedly stressed its willingness to engage with the protesters. Here are the top developments Students agree to talks, but seek public meeting Government says doors are open Probe gathers pace as arrests rise Join conversation View All Comments → Share your thoughts in the comments Insightful Agree Disagree Skeptical Concerning Promising Worth Reading Big Development Post Comment Be respectful · TOI community guidelines NEW DELHI: Students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand have agreed in principle to hold talks with the state government, provided the discussions are held in the presence of the media. The breakthrough came as the CID arrested five more people in the probe into the alleged recruitment scam.The development comes as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) intensifies its probe into the alleged recruitment scam by examining digital records, application logs and other documents, while the state government maintains that action is being taken against those responsible.Student leaders said they were prepared to send a four- or five-member delegation for discussions after receiving a message from the government through the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO). However, they insisted that the talks should be transparent."We also had another demand: if the chief minister comes out to speak with us publicly in front of live media on an open platform, a proper resolution could be reached.

In our previous protest, our representatives were taken into a closed room, and nothing came out of it. They are calling a five-member team just to stall and suppress our movement," one protester alleged.Another protester echoed the demand, saying, "The chief minister should listen to the students' demands in front of the press and media, and whatever promises he intends to fulfil should be stated publicly. For the last 26 years in Jharkhand, students' issues have been heard in closed rooms, and the files have remained closed forever."Student leader Ravindra Paswan said both sides had shown willingness to engage."The government has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue, and we have also conveyed our willingness. Dialogue is essential in a democratic country as it is the only way to reach a resolution," Paswan said.He added that the students had placed two conditions before the government."Our primary condition is that the dialogue should take place directly with the Chief Minister, and we have been assured that the Chief Minister will be present. Secondly, we want at least two media representatives to be present during the discussions. The SDO has asked us to submit the names of our delegation members before 10 am, after which the date and time of the meeting will be communicated," he said.The state government has repeatedly stressed its willingness to engage with the protesters.Jharkhand minister Irfan Ansari said, "The Chief Minister has constituted the committee...