Himanta extends support to Jharkhand students protesting exam irregularities

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday, August 4, extended his support to students in Jharkhand protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, accusing the JMM-Congress-RJD government of failing to address their concerns with sensitivity and transparency.

In a post on X, Sarma said he had closely witnessed the concerns, anger and frustration of aspirants during the Jharkhand Assembly election campaign and expressed solidarity with students demanding justice.

"During the Jharkhand Assembly elections, I had the opportunity to closely witness the pain, anger and concerns of JSSC-CGL aspirants regarding the recruitment process," Sarma wrote.

He said he could understand the sentiments of students who were protesting for their future and alleged that the situation could have been avoided had the state government responded promptly to their complaints.

"If the JMM-Congress-RJD Jharkhand government had acted with sensitivity and transparency on the students' complaints in a timely manner, the situation would not have reached this point," he said.

Sarma further alleged that accusations of irregularities and paper leaks had continued to mount, putting the future of lakhs of young aspirants at risk.

"Unfortunately, allegations of irregularities and paper leaks have continued to mount, and today the future of lakhs of youth is in crisis," he said.

 

Expressing what he described as his "moral support" for the students' movement, the Assam Chief Minister urged the Jharkhand government to accept the protesters' demands and ensure justice.

"I express my moral support for this just movement of Jharkhand's students and youth and urge the state government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the students and deliver justice to them. Injustice with the future of the youth cannot be acceptable at any cost," Sarma said.

His remarks come as students in Ranchi continue protests over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitment examinations. The protesters are demanding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Preliminary Test, held on April 19, and an independent investigation by central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.