The second round of talks between the Jharkhand government and student representatives protesting alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations ended without a breakthrough on Saturday, prolonging a conflict that the state has so far struggled to resolve.

The students, however, said the government had listened to their demands and that they would wait for the issues to be taken up with Chief Minister Hemant Soren before deciding whether to withdraw their hunger strike.

The controversy began soon after the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) declared the preliminary examination results of the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination on July 2. The Commission shortlisted 2,204 candidates against 103 vacancies, but allegations of irregularities emerged soon after. Around 3.5 lakh people took the exam.