India, Aug. 10 -- The high-stakes standoff between the Jharkhand government and protesting student groups remains firmly deadlocked despite intense rounds of negotiations at the State Guest House in Morabadi, even as Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that his government is handling their demands with the utmost sensitivity and seriousness.

While the government claims to have conceded nearly all major student demands, student unions refused to back down without the complete cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination.

Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said authorities acted in good faith to resolve the crisis. "The government has accepted 98% of the students' demands to ensure a fair...