The Criminal Investigation Department on Monday began conducting raids at the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission office here in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, news agency PTI reported, quoting an officer.
Job aspirants have been protesting for 24 days now against alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations in Jharkhand.
“We are conducting raids at the JSSC office in connection with alleged irregularities in various examinations,” CID ADG Manoj Kaushik told PTI.
The raid comes amid fresh talks between the Jharkhand government led by chief minister Hemant Soren and the protesting student bodies on Monday, a day after they burnt his and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s effigies. Congress is part of the ruling JMM-led government in Jharkhand.
Led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, the protesters are demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination.
The state probe agency has arrested 20 people in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment exam, including former JPSC Chairman L Khiangte.
Rahul Gandhi’s appeal to ally Hemant Soren
Rahul Gandhi has written to Hemant Soren, urging him to personally meet with representatives of protesting students and take appropriate action to resolve the issue.
Gandhi said the students’ protest had been peaceful and their demands legitimate, while asserting that the youth of India was its future and “we owe them our solidarity and support at this moment of crisis”.
In his letter to Soren dated August 14, Gandhi said that the Congress party believes that the right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in the Constitution of India, is one of the central pillars of India’s democracy.
“We have, therefore, offered our full support to students protesting paper leaks and irregularities in the education system over the last few months,” the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.
“It is also our belief that the Indian education system has been captured by the RSS and BJP and transformed into a tool for the exploitation and oppression of students. It is no longer the robust knowledge system that it used to be a decade ago,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader said he appreciated that the Jharkhand government has initiated a dialogue with the students through a committee set up by the chief minister and that there was agreement on several of their demands. However, he noted that the protests continued and some students remained on indefinite hunger strike.
“I am writing to suggest that you personally meet with representatives of the protesting students. This will help reinforce the government’s commitment to resolve their remaining concerns,” the former Congress chief said.
“Please do your utmost to hear them out and take appropriate action towards the resolution of this issue,” Gandhi said.
