Govt has invited chaos: Student activist fasting for 9 days joins Jharkhand march
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a fast in Ranchi for the past nine days over alleged irregularities in public recruitment examinations
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a fast in Ranchi for the past nine days over alleged irregularities in public recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, on Monday said the Hemant Soren-led government wants chaos, referring to the stringent preventive measures taken to stop thousands of protesting students marching towards the state Assembly. The activist made the remarks as he joined the planned march, despite purportedly losing 10.5 kg of body weight. He was seen carrying a portrait of Hemant Soren's late father and former chief minister, Shibu Soren.
Mahto reached to join the Assembly-bound protesters in an ambulance. Read Full Story "The government has invited chaos. I could not stop myself from coming here with others... What hurt my heart the most was not the hunger strike, but the barbed wire that have been put up to stop us. Why does the government want chaos?" he said. Layers of barricades wrapped in barbed wires have been set up by the administration to prevent the protesters from reaching the Assembly building. According to officials, more than 1,500 personnel from the Rapid Action Force, Indian Reserve Battalion, district police and QRT have also been deployed.
The march to the state Assembly came after multiple rounds of talks with the state government failed to achieve a breakthrough. After the last round of deliberations, the government said it had accepted 98 per cent of the demands of the demonstrators. However, the protesters said the government had agreed to cancel only three of the 13 exams they wanted to be scrapped. "We will not compromise till our demand for a CBI probe is fulfilled," JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said. The central demands raised by the protesters include comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
They are also seeking cancellation of several recruitment tests, including the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination, and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities, either by the CBI or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state. Ends (With inputs from agencies)
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