Ranchi: Jharkhand govt’s decision to scrap 22 recruitment examinations over alleged malpractice brought a 26-day student agitation to an end on Wednesday but triggered fresh protests by candidates who fear losing govt jobs they had secured after clearing some of the cancelled exams.After 25 days of sustained protests, Hemant Soren govt notified close to midnight the cancellation of 21 Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations conducted for recruitment of lecturers, forest officers, public prosecutors, child development officers, food safety officers and civil judges, among others, besides one Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination in 2024, conducted by Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).Govt also put six examinations on hold and ordered a CID probe into 17 past examinations.CID will investigate examinations conducted between 2013 and 2021, including 5th Combined Civil Services Examination, multiple Civil Judge recruitments, Agriculture Officer recruitments, Food Safety Officer recruitment, Combined Assistant Engineer examination and Combined Civil Services Examination-2021.The decision came after weeks of protests at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where students accused JPSC, JSSC and outsourced examination agency TDPL of large-scale irregularities. They had demanded cancellation of tainted examinations and a CBI probe.Govt was compelled to convene a special cabinet meeting on Monday after three rounds of talks with the protesters failed to break the deadlock. However, it stopped short of accepting the demand for a CBI investigation.Early on Wednesday, protesters began vacating the site after announcing a 60-day ultimatum to govt to fulfil the promises made during discussions.“We have decided to suspend the movement for two months as the govt has assured us in writing that the investigation report will be submitted within this period. The govt has accepted most of our major demands, while on the remaining issues it has assured action within the next two months,” said Ravindra Paswan, a core member of JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.However, the resolution of one protest quickly gave way to another.Hours later, fresh protests erupted at Project Building, the seat of the state govt, as candidates who stand to lose their jobs following the cancellations launched a counter-agitation.“The scrapping of exams will impact nearly 3,000 candidates, many of whom had already joined govt service earlier this year,” said one agitator.Raising slogans of “fansi do ya nyay do”, the protesters breached security barricades at the secretariat complex and announced an indefinite stir, turning the area into a heavily guarded zone.The backlash also reached Jharkhand high court, where several candidates who had been declared successful in various examinations and subsequently appointed to govt jobs filed petitions challenging the blanket cancellation of the examinations.Former Jharkhand advocate general Ajit Kumar termed govt notification a “Tughlaqi farman”.“Given the two-year controversy surrounding the CGL exam, including a CID probe and evidence suggesting a paper leak, a deeper investigation was warranted. If identifying tainted and untainted candidates was difficult, cancelling the exam may be justified, but the govt should have announced it transparently. However, cancelling all CGL-related exams appears to be a ‘Tughlaqi farman’ and raises concerns that recent competitive exams were marred by deception and fraud,” Kumar told reporters.The controversy also intensified the political sparring, with BJP leader of opposition Babulal Marandi reiterating the demand for a CBI probe.In a letter to chief minister Hemant Soren, Marandi alleged that CID’s handling of the JSSC CGL controversy had eroded public confidence.“Hence, all disputed recruitments should be handed over to the CBI,” he wrote.
