Bhopal, Aug 18: Eight labourers were killed and 23 others injured after a speeding pickup van carrying them collided head-on with an incoming truck in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, police said on Tuesday.

The accident took place at around mid-night near Chhimka village under Gohad area on National Highway-719. The labourers were returning to their villages in Uttar Pradesh after completing paddy transplantation work in Gwalior region.

According to police, 29 labourers were travelling in the pickup when the accident occurred. The injured were rescued with the help of local residents and shifted to nearby hospitals. Gohad Chauraha police station in-charge Ramnaresh Yadav said the pickup was travelling at an estimated speed of 80-90 kmph.

“Some cows were sitting on the highway and the driver tried to avoid them after they suddenly came in front of the vehicle. The pickup swerved and collided head-on with the oncoming truck,” Yadav said.

The collision was so severe that the pickup was badly mangled, trapping several labourers inside. Police personnel and local residents helped extricate the injured from the vehicle.

Five bodies have been kept at Gohad and three at Gwalior, while the process of identifying the deceased was underway, police said. The labourers had come to the Gwalior region from different villages for paddy transplantation work.

After completing the work, they were returning to their villages in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Yadav said the presence of cattle on the highway was emerging as a key factor in the accident, particularly as the pickup was travelling at high speed during the night.

“The damaged vehicles were removed from the highway, and traffic movement was restored after some disruption,” Yadav added.

Police have registered a case and started an investigation into the accident. Further details, including the identities of the deceased, are awaited.

New Delhi, Aug 18: As Jharkhand student leader Devendra Nath Mahato called off his hunger strike after the Hemant Soren government cancelled examinations and recruitment processes for government jobs following weeks of student protests, the BJP on Tuesday congratulated the students and said the Jharkhand government had been forced to ‘bow down’.

Speaking to media, BJP Bihar president Sanjay Saraogi said, “Congratulations, the students have won. The examination has been cancelled. But an organised group is operating in Jharkhand, leaking examination papers. What is the problem with a CBI enquiry? There should definitely be a CBI enquiry. The students’ future is at stake. They are on hunger strike and protesting. So, what is the problem with having a CBI enquiry?”

Bihar Minister Ramkripal Yadav said, “The government of Jharkhand had to bow down. By bowing down, it means that they have accepted that they made a mistake. The government realised that it had made a mistake. If a CBI investigation is conducted, the truth will come out.”

BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh said, “The students are absolutely right in saying that they will not withdraw their protest until a CBI enquiry is conducted. This has been their demand from the beginning. The cancellation of the examination is a separate issue, but an investigation is essential to find out who committed the scam. The Chief Minister there is running away from the investigation.”

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, “I believe that along with the steps taken by the Jharkhand government, it is also important to calm the students. If some of their concerns remain unresolved, the Jharkhand government should engage in dialogue with them. It would be better to hold discussions and resolve the students’ issues.”

JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said, “Absolutely, this was the demand. What happened in Delhi and what happened with the students in Ranchi is in front of all of you. You have all seen what happened with the students in Ranchi. The kind of irregularities that came to light in the examination, given the way it was conducted, this was bound to happen.”

AAP Chief National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, “The students led a very peaceful protest, which is a good thing. The government has listened to their demands, and we hope their concerns will be addressed. We stand with the students in every way.”

Meanwhile, four students, including student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, ended their hunger strike on Tuesday after the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of all examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and TDPL. However, the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum has announced that its agitation will continue over its demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

The four protesters, Devendra Nath Mahto, Umm-e-Habiba, Prem Nayak and Kush Mahto, ended their hunger strike at around 1.15 a.m. at Ranchi Sadar Hospital after the state government’s decision. Ministers Deepika Pandey Singh and Irfan Ansari offered them juice to formally end the fast.

Speaking after ending his hunger strike, Mahto said, “Today, on the 16th day of our hunger strike, we ended our fast in a dignified manner. With the joint initiative of Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari, Minister Deepika Pandey and our MLA Jairam Mahto, we decided to suspend our hunger strike. All the demands for which we had been protesting constitutionally and peacefully have been fulfilled.”

Ranchi : Four students, including student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, ended their hunger strike on Tuesday after the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of all examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and TDPL. However, the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum has announced that its agitation will continue over its demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

The four protesters, Devendra Nath Mahto, Umm-e-Habiba, Prem Nayak and Kush Mahto, ended their hunger strike at around 1.15 a.m. at Ranchi Sadar Hospital after the state government’s decision. Ministers Deepika Pandey Singh and Irfan Ansari offered them juice to formally end the fast.

Speaking after ending his hunger strike, Mahto said, “Today, on the 16th day of our hunger strike, we ended our fast in a dignified manner. With the joint initiative of Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari, Minister Deepika Pandey and our MLA Jairam Mahto, we decided to suspend our hunger strike. All the demands for which we had been protesting constitutionally and peacefully have been fulfilled…”

JLKM president Jairam Kumar Mahato also welcomed the government’s decision, calling it historic. “I would undoubtedly thank the government. This is a historic decision, as the CGL examination process had already reached the joining stage. Despite this, the government respected the sentiments of the students…” he said.

The decision to cancel all examinations conducted by JSSC-CGL and TDPL was taken at a special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday.

The announcement triggered celebrations among students protesting at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Despite heavy rain, protesters embraced each other, distributed sweets, raised slogans and celebrated with colours and fireworks. They described the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination as a major victory after 24 days of agitation.

However, the students made it clear that their movement has not ended completely. Their key pending demand is a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum spokesperson Ravindra Paswan said the government had accepted their most important demand by cancelling the examinations, but no decision had yet been taken on the CBI probe. He said the agitation would continue until there was clarity on the issue.

Student leader Piyush Kumar termed the government’s decision the “first major victory” but said several issues, including the 11th to 13th JPSC Civil Services Examination, remain unresolved. The protesters will review the government’s decision and official notification before deciding their next course of action.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren had earlier said the SIT and CID investigations into the JSSC-CGL matter had revealed several important and startling facts, including indications of alleged collusion among different agencies.

The government has also decided to conduct a comprehensive enquiry into recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and JSSC since 2014. In addition, a committee headed by IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been constituted to recommend reforms to make the examination process more transparent and prevent irregularities in the future.