Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday appealed to protesting students to remain peaceful and trust the government after a police crackdown on the ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march left a number of protesters injured. Soren said students’ demands should be listened to and that the government would respond to them with seriousness and sensitivity.
Students' agitation to get out of government exam system with their exam system being so poor and candidates having such a difficult time being able to get into school has been highlighted. The protestors had walked to Jharkhand Assembly to make their case as well as other demands to the government. When police intervened on the spot, some protesters were injured during clashes, according to witnesses.
In a blog on X, Soren acknowledged the students’ right to raise their concerns in a democratic manner. He said the government respected their voice and had a responsibility to listen to the issues being raised by the student community.
Soren said senior ministers were in regular contact with protesting students and discussions were already under way to address their concerns. He assured the protesters that their demands would not be ignored and that the government would take them with “utmost seriousness and sensitivity.”
The Chief Minister also spoke about reforms in Jharkhand’s examination system. The government has been working to remedy existing shortcomings and prevent students from becoming victims of such issues in the future, Soren said. To create an examination system that is transparent, technology-enabled, secure and accountable, he said.
The proposed changes, he said, would also require the involvement of students and other stakeholders. Soren described students as the future of Jharkhand and said their involvement in improving the system and ensuring that examination-related issues are addressed effectively would be a key component of the system.
The Chief Minister also called on the protesting students not to let the agitation get influenced by political interests. Some Opposition representatives had tried to sabotage the student movement and mislead the students for their own ends, he said. Soren said students should be careful about such narratives and concentrate on solving their real concerns.
His remarks were at a particularly sensitive time in the agitation. Police beat up and wounded at least two protesters, and the student leader Devendra Nath Mahto was taken to hospital after he fell ill as they continued to protest. It only added to already mounting tension in the student movement and the government’s response.
Soren sought to lower the temperature with dialogue rather than confrontation. The state government wanted Jharkhand to show that disputes might be resolved through meaningful dialogue and practical solutions rather than prolonged protests and disagreements, he said.
The Chief Minister’s appeal comes at a time when students' protest is putting pressure on the Jharkhand government to address examination-related issues. For students preparing for competitive and recruitment examinations, transparency and accountability in the process are critical, especially since irregularities or administrative shortcomings can affect their academic and career prospects.
By speaking to the protesters directly, Soren tried to assure them that their concerns were being taken seriously and that this was being done in a responsible way while also calling for restraint. His point of view was: dialogue, trust, and institutional change—the government would do its job better in the examination system.
The immediate focus now is going to be on whether the government can keep the promises that were made and what concrete steps it can take to help the students’ demands. As the protests are progressing, the response to the protest crackdown and the health of injured protesters (such as Devendra Nath Mahto) is also to be closely monitored.
Soren ended his appeal, calling on the students and government to work together to resolve the issue. The Chief Minister said that the concerns of Jharkhand’s students should be heard and addressed through democratic dialogue and that protesters must work to keep peace and not get divided into political camps.
