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The Jharkhand government is set to hold talks with a second faction of protesting job aspirants, led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto, at the Circuit House on Saturday at 10 am, as the agitation over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations entered its 15th day.

Ahead of the meeting, Mahto made clear that the students’ core demands would not change regardless of which group meets government representatives. “The team has told us that we will go for a dialogue at the Circuit House at 10 am. Had the government agreed to our demands when the other students met them, then it wouldn’t have been necessary for us to go as well. It doesn’t matter how many of us go to meet them. All of us have the same demands, which should be fulfilled,” he said.

This comes a day after the first round of talks between a 10-member delegation of the JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch and a government panel headed by Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar failed to break the deadlock, with students deciding to continue their protest and hunger strike until the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination and other demands are met. Mahto himself has been on a hunger strike for seven days.

“The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, and the government assured us that our demands would be considered. However, we have decided to continue our protest until all our demands, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination, are fulfilled,” a JPSC/JSSC Reforms Manch leader had said after the meeting.

The students are demanding the cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam 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, besides comprehensive reforms in the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

“We met the students’ delegation and are sensitive to their concerns. We are ready to consider their demands sympathetically, and the outcome will be visible soon,” Sudivya Kumar had told reporters.

Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said the students’ demands had been conveyed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

“He is concerned about the students and there will be an outcome soon,” she said.

The students also warned that they would go ahead with their planned Vidhan Sabha march on August 10 if the government failed to fulfill their demands by Sunday.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), meanwhile, announced it would stage a march against the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams.

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