RANCHI: A protesting student in Jharkhand said his blood pressure and sugar levels had dropped amid the ongoing agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, as protesters demanded that chief minister Hemant Soren hold direct talks with them.“My sugar, BP, everything is low. The doctor told me to take water,” student protester Prem said in a video shared by news agency ANI.Prem said protesters wanted to speak directly with Soren instead of his ministers and demanded that any interaction with the chief minister be recorded and held in an open ground in the presence of national, international and state media.“We want to talk to the CM directly, with the interaction recorded on video, in front of national, international, and state news outlets, and not in a closed room but in an open ground,” he said.The student also said he felt he should “sacrifice” his body and life for the country, alleging that the government was refusing to wake up to the protesters’ concerns.The agitation over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitment examinations entered its 15th day on Saturday.The protest, which began on July 25 under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, has continued despite a first round of talks between a delegation of protesting students and a government panel on Friday.The students are demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities, either by the CBI or a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state. They are also seeking comprehensive reforms in the JPSC and JSSC.The protesters decided to continue their agitation and hunger strike after Friday’s meeting, saying they would proceed with a planned Vidhan Sabha march on August 10 if their demands were not met by Sunday.The government, meanwhile, is scheduled to hold talks with another faction of protesting aspirants at 10am on Saturday.The second group, led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto, has also been participating in the agitation. Mahto has been on a hunger strike for seven days, according to the group.Health concerns among protesters have also intensified, with student leader Rahul Kranti admitted to Ranchi Sadar Hospital after his condition deteriorated. He was among six people on an indefinite hunger strike and had been fasting since Tuesday night.Leader of opposition Babulal Marandi visited Kranti at the hospital and urged protesters not to risk their lives. Health minister Irfan Ansari, who met Kranti on Soren’s instructions, said protesters were receiving medical care under specialist supervision.The state government has maintained that it is willing to engage with the protesting students. Higher and technical education minister Sudivya Kumar said the government was sensitive to their concerns and ready to consider their demands sympathetically.Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said the students’ demands had been conveyed to Soren and that he was concerned about them.Soren had earlier said his government was ready for dialogue and that students could place their grievances before it.The agitation has also drawn political and student-group support, with Left-backed student organisations holding a march towards the Assembly and BJP legislators raising the issue in the Jharkhand Assembly.So far, 19 people have been arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in JPSC examinations, while former JPSC chairman L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.
