Jharkhand students' protest: Talks fail to break deadlock, ABVP clashes with police near CM's residence | Top updates

The protests, which have continued for 15 days, demands the cancellation of several examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), an independent probe into alleged irregularities and changes to the recruitment process.What happened on Saturday?The Jharkhand government held separate meetings with several groups representing protesting aspirants in an attempt to resolve the deadlock.Quick answers to key questions•5 QUESTIONSThe protesting students are demanding the cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination, an independent investigation into alleged irregularities, and structural reforms in the recruitment processes of JPSC and JSSC.The protests are mainly due to allegations of irregularities in recent JPSC and JSSC examinations, leading candidates to demand greater transparency and reforms in the recruitment process.The protests have been ongoing for 15 days, with several students participating in an indefinite hunger strike to raise awareness about their demands.The Jharkhand government has held meetings with various student groups, acknowledged the demands as genuine, and created a dedicated email to collect suggestions for reforming the recruitment process.The protesting students believe that dialogue will not be sufficient unless their specific demands are met, stating they will continue their protests regardless of ongoing discussions.According to PTI, a five-member government panel, including three ministers, first met representatives of the JPSC-JSSC Candidates' Forum led by JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto. The panel subsequently held discussions with delegations from the Congress-backed NSUI, Akhil Chhatra Sangh (ACS) and Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha (JCM).The talks, however, failed to end the agitation. Protesters said they would continue their demonstrations until their demands were met.State minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav described the demands of the protesting aspirants as "genuine" and said they would be placed before Chief Minister Hemant Soren.What has the government offered?The state government has said it will continue discussions with different student organisations and other stakeholders before framing a reform policy.Higher and technical education minister Sudivya Kumar said the government had created a dedicated email address to receive suggestions from students and other stakeholders on reforms to the recruitment process.The government has also indicated that discrepancies highlighted by students would be examined and resolved.However, protesters have said dialogue alone will not end the agitation unless their demands are addressed.What are the students demanding?The demands vary somewhat between different groups, but a common demand is cancellation of examinations they allege were affected by irregularities.The JPSC-JSSC Candidates' Forum has demanded immediate cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and an independent investigation into alleged irregularities.Other groups have sought cancellation of various JSSC examinations conducted after 2019, including the CGL, JE and PGT exams.The protesters are also demanding a probe by the CBI or a panel of retired high court judges from outside Jharkhand.Among other demands are disclosure of category-wise cut-offs, OMR sheets and response sheets, along with a recruitment calendar on the lines of the UPSC and SSC.The NSUI has also demanded a CID probe into JPSC and JSSC examinations under suspicion and the creation of a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency.How long has the protest continued?The agitation has now entered its 15th day. Several candidates are on an indefinite hunger st