Protests against alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations in the state of Jharkhand reached a climax on Monday, as students prepared to march towards the Assembly after talks with the Hemant Soren government failed to yield results. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on an eight-day hunger strike, called for mass participation in the march and termed August 10 as a crucial day for Jharkhand. The students' key demands include cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the irregularities, acceptance of the students' examination reform model, and adherence to their suggested recruitment calendar. The government has rejected these demands, prompting students to continue their agitation peacefully until they are fulfilled. The protest, now in its 17th day, has seen six students go on an indefinite hunger strike. Despite the government's claim of accepting 98% of the students' demands, the protesters maintain that the assertion does not reflect the outcome of negotiations. They allege that the government agreed to cancel only three of the 13 examinations they had sought for cancellation. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government, however, maintains that it has addressed most of the students' demands and urges them to withdraw the agitation and continue negotiations.