NSUI backs Jharkhand students' hunger strike; govt opens talks

Support for students on an indefinite hunger strike over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) continued to grow on Wednesday, with the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) extending its backing and educator-activist Sonam Wangchuk expressing solidarity.

The developments came as the Hemant Soren government initiated talks with the protesting students, who have been on a hunger strike in Ranchi over their long-pending demands.

A delegation led by NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar met the students at the protest site and assured them that their demands would be forcefully raised before the state government.

According to an NSUI statement, the organisation would continue to stand with the students in their fight for justice. Jakhar said a Congress-NSUI delegation would meet chief minister Hemant Soren to present the students' demands in detail and seek a meaningful resolution.

He also said the Congress and the NSUI, under the leadership of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, stood firmly with students fighting for their rights and justice.

Separately, Wangchuk spoke to student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who is leading the protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, through a video call. Mahto urged Wangchuk to visit Ranchi to boost the morale of the agitating students.

The state government's outreach followed an all-party meeting convened by Assembly speaker Ravindranath Mahato ahead of the monsoon session of the Jharkhand Assembly, where the students' agitation was also discussed.

Later, chief minister Hemant Soren said the governor had been apprised of the situation and that investigations into the alleged recruitment irregularities were underway. "Several people have already been arrested. Investigating agencies are continuously taking action in the matter," he said.

Later in the day, the sub-divisional officer and the additional district magistrate (law and order) visited the protest site on behalf of the government to initiate discussions with the students.

The protesters agreed to hold talks but insisted they would not participate in closed-door negotiations. They demanded that any discussion be held publicly and in the presence of the media to ensure complete transparency.

The students have demanded the cancellation of all recruitment examinations allegedly linked to Lucknow-based TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) and Abhay Kumar Tiwari, including the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, which they described as one of the country's biggest recruitment scams. They have also sought a CBI and Enforcement Directorate probe into the alleged irregularities.

Among the other demands are sweeping reforms to the state's recruitment system, including a mandatory annual examination calendar, adherence to fixed timelines, revision of the age limit for JPSC and JSSC examinations, implementation of standard operating procedures for recruitment, appointment of politically unaffiliated officials to oversee examinations, constitution of a fast-track court to conclude cases within 90 days, and the setting up of a reform commission under former chief secretary R S Sharma.

The controversy centres on TDPL, a Lucknow-based examination agency whose role in conducting recruitment examinations in Jharkhand has come under scrutiny. The agency was blacklisted by the JSSC in May 2025 for allegedly violating contractual conditions but was reportedly re-engaged a month later to conduct examinations.

According to investigators, Tiwari, also known as Manoj Kumar Tiwari, was serving as a block supply officer in Godda district while simultaneously working as a marketing manager for TDPL, raising concerns over a conflict of interest in the conduct of recruitment examinations. Reports have also said the agency had previously been blacklisted in Uttar Pradesh and other states.