The student movement demanding recruitment and examination reforms in Jharkhand took a political turn on Friday, with members of the JPSC and JSSC Reform Forum denying that the agitation was being sponsored by the BJP and calling on the state government to withdraw the FIR registered in connection with the August 10 protest.Speaking at a sit-in at Jaipal Singh Stadium, student leader and forum member Ravindra Kumar said the movement belonged to students and was not being backed by any political party. He said rumours were being spread that the BJP was behind the agitation, but firmly rejected the claim.“This movement belongs to students. It is not sponsored by any party,” Kumar said.The statement came amid growing efforts by protesters to make it clear that their agitation should not be viewed through a political lens. Kumar appealed to all MLAs to visit the protest site and extend moral support to the students. He also urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to visit the site and stand with the protesters.Piyush Kumar, another forum member, said the government should understand the students’ concerns. “Our patience should not be tested by the government,” he said.The protesters also rejected a claim by Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey that those who had met the government were not students. Ravindra Kumar described the allegation as completely false and maintained that he himself was a student and that all those who had participated in the talks were students.The forum also sought to distance itself from a social media post claiming that students were preparing to surround the Chief Minister’s residence on August 16. Kumar said there was no such plan.“A post is being circulated on social media claiming that preparations are being made to surround the Chief Minister’s residence on August 16. This is completely false. There is no such preparation by the students,” he said.He added that Chief Minister Hemant Soren had a moral responsibility to ensure an impartial inquiry into the entire matter.The August 10 protest at Chhatri Maidan remains a key point of contention. Kumar said an FIR had been registered in connection with the demonstration and urged the government and police administration not to name students as accused.He appealed to the government to withdraw the FIR against students and said those participating in the movement should not be subjected to criminal proceedings.The protesters also said their demands had received little response from the government. Piyush Kumar appealed to students to continue pressing for vacancies in posts such as daroga and constable, while stating that only two per cent of their demands had been accepted.“Only two per cent of our demands have been accepted. The government is not ready to listen to the remaining demands,” he said.The agitation also prompted a direct political appeal to the Congress leadership. Ravindra Kumar said he had learnt that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had stated that the Jharkhand government should listen to the students, failing which the party would take appropriate action.Kumar said the Congress and Rahul Gandhi should stand with the students. If the Jharkhand government failed to accept their demands, he said, the Congress should withdraw its support from the government.For the protesters, the immediate demands remain centred on recruitment vacancies, examination reforms and action arising from the August 10 demonstration. Their statements on Friday also sought to draw a clear distinction between the student agitation and political parties, even as they called on elected representatives and the Congress leadership to openly support their cause.