Students protesting alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations may decide to withdraw their demonstration on Tuesday after the state government cancelled all recruitment tests, including the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination.
The decision was announced after Chief Minister Hemant Soren chaired a marathon cabinet meeting at the state secretariat on Monday. The government also announced that an exam reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal would recommend measures to strengthen and reform the state’s recruitment examination system.
Soren said the JSSC-CGL examination, one of the principal demands raised by protesting students, had been cancelled. The government also decided to cancel all examinations conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL), along with the results published by the agency.
The development comes as the student agitation enters its 25th day. The protest, led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, began on July 25 over allegations of irregularities in recruitment examinations.
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At the time of the government’s announcement, six protesters were continuing a hunger strike, while a government panel was preparing for another round of talks with representatives of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.
A protesting student said the group would decide on Tuesday whether to continue the agitation or call it off following the government’s announcement. Student leader Devendra Mahto, who had been on hunger strike for 16 days over the alleged examination irregularities, ended his fast around midnight on Monday. Five other protesters continued their hunger strike, he said.
The government’s decision was greeted with celebrations among some protesters. Students were seen waving the Tricolour following the announcement. Activist Sonam Wangchuk also congratulated Mahto during a video call and described the government’s decision as a victory for everyone.
However, the announcement did not immediately bring the protest to an end. Agitators said their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged examination irregularities had not been accepted.
Rahul Kranti, one of the protesters undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital, said the agitation would continue unless the government agreed to a CBI investigation.
Soren said the state government remained concerned about the agitation and had already enacted the Jharkhand Competitive Examination Prevention and Redressal of Unfair Means in Recruitment Act. He said the law would now be implemented strictly to prevent malpractice and strengthen accountability in recruitment examinations.
The chief minister also indicated that the investigation into alleged examination irregularities had uncovered serious concerns. He said several “surprising factors” had emerged during the probe conducted by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and a special investigation team, but added that these details could not be disclosed at this stage.
Soren further alleged that several companies operating in Jharkhand appeared to be involved in what he described as a “huge exam racket.”
The protesting students had earlier announced plans to gherao the chief minister’s residence on August 20 and appealed to students from across the state to assemble in Ranchi. They had also demanded Soren’s resignation and accused the ruling JMM-Congress alliance of failing to take concrete action on their concerns.
The cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, however, led to another development, with candidates who had cleared the examination and secured government jobs launching a counter-protest.
A group of successful candidates gathered outside the state secretariat and appealed to Soren not to cancel the examination. They claimed that cancelling the test would put around 2,000 people who had secured government employment at risk of losing their jobs.
The opposition BJP backed the protesting students’ demand for a CBI probe. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi urged Soren to accept the students’ demands and questioned why the government should oppose a CBI investigation if it was confident about the integrity of the recruitment process.
With the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and all tests conducted by TDPL, the government has accepted one of the most prominent demands of the student agitation.
The government has also signalled a broader overhaul of the recruitment examination system through the new reforms committee and stricter enforcement of the anti-unfair-means legislation.
Meanwhile, the CID continued conducting raids as investigators sought to identify and apprehend those allegedly involved in the examination irregularities. The developments are expected to determine whether the protesting students ultimately withdraw their agitation or continue pressing for a CBI probe and other demands.
