JPSC-JSSC Aspirants' Yatra Starts In Ramgarh, Villagers Protest Against Mahto's Campaign

Ranchi: Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto on Monday launched the "JPSC-JSSC Recruitment System Reform Yatra" from Lukaiya Tand at Nemra village, the ancestral home of late former chief minister Shibu Soren, in Ramgarh district after paying floral tribute to his statue.

Yatra launched from Nemra

Mahto had carried a framed portrait of Shibu Soren, father of the present CM and JMM chief Hemant Soren, even during the march to the assembly on August 10. Mahto had ended his 16-day hunger strike after the state government cancelled the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination and all recruitment processes.

Organised under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Aspirants' Nyay Manch, the Yatra aims to address systemic issues related to the state government`s recruitment examinations. Their major demands include complete checks on question paper leaks and exam rigging, absolute transparency and fairness in JPSC and JSSC examination systems, and firm legal support for job aspirants.

The Yatra is scheduled to pass through all 24 districts of Jharkhand to mobilise youth and public awareness.

Villagers oppose campaign

Before the yatra's launch, villagers carrying traditional weapons like axes, sticks, and bows and arrows demonstrated against Mahto. They asserted that chief minister Soren was their ‘Naike Pradhan’ (traditional village head), and therefore they would not tolerate any protest against their leader.

They also alleged that student leader Mahto had not informed them about the yatra in writing. A large number of women and children also participated in the protest.

The villagers also contended that although the yatra might be emotionally significant, burning effigies of Soren at various places in the districts was wrong.

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Campaign begins amid tensions

Facing armed resistance in the village core, Mahto and the student union launched their campaign from Lukaiya Tand on Nemra’s outskirts.

To defuse tensions and align with local sentiments, Mahto adopted a conciliatory approach by seeking the blessings of local villagers and JMM patriarch Shibu Soren.

The campaign began with traditional Jharkhand rituals led by senior pahans (priests), including planting a sal sapling.