Ranchi/New Delhi, March 11: As the Grade IV employee of Jharkhand government, who set himself on fire last week, struggles to survive at Safdarjung Hospital, state secretariats limped back to work today after officials took possession of keys of all departments from the Grade IV staff.

The move followed after chief secretary A.K. Basu directed all departmental secretaries to ensure normal functioning of offices.

The staff had gone on strike after Bhrigu Pandey had attempted self-immolation at Project Bhavan on Friday in response to a call by Jharkhand Rajya Sachivalaya Chaturth Vargiya Karmachari Sangh to put pressure on the government over demands of assured career promotion and bonus. Basu said that it was important that all state offices got back to functioning normally at the earliest, especially with the Assembly in session and the current fiscal coming to an end in just two weeks.

Following the directive, keys of all offices were requisitioned from the Grade IV staff and security personnel. With clerical staff eager to report back for duty, state officials ensured that the offices were opened early morning. Police teams, headed by a DSP rank officer, were posted at the secretariats at both Doranda and Dhurwa to maintain law and order.

However, the Grade IV employees owing allegiance to the sangh continued to demonstrate outside Project Bhavan demanding withdrawal of all cases filed against them by the police and immediately facilitating assured career promotion. “Grade III employees had lent moral support to their Grade IV colleagues ever since some employees attempted a self-immolation bid on Friday. These clerical staff stayed away from work for three days. Such support cannot continue for long. Hence, many clerical employees reported back for work,” said Jharkhand State Non Gazetted Employees Federation general secretary Singheshwar Singh.

Meanwhile, R.P. Narayan, the head of Safdarjung burns department, and attending to Bhrigu Pandey said he had nearly 70 per cent burns, and continued to remain in an “extremely critical condition”, four days after he attempted self-immolation in Ranchi.

“His prognosis is poor. People with over 50 per cent burns can suffer from multiple organ failure,” he added.

On the other hand, in the state capital, Birendra Kumar Tripathy, a travel agent, today handed over Rs 51,000 for the marriage of Pandey’s daughter, which has been fixed later this month.

The cheque was handed over to the president of the sangh, Jawahar Jha.