Ranchi: Congress national secretary and former Barkagaon MLA Amba Prasad on Tuesday sought a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the state public service commission and staff selection commission as protests entered its 18th day.A day after thousands braved lathis, water cannons and tear gas rounds and breached barricades before marching up to the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha complex in Dhurwa, Prasad said her party leadership has condemned police action against peaceful agitations.Late on Monday, CM Hemant Soren praised the Ranchi district administration for exercising restraint and handling the protest in a sensitive manner. On Tuesday, however, BJP called a statewide bandh alleging police atrocities on protestors. Prasad told TOI, “We are with the agitating students and condemning any kind of police action against protesters.”“While Congress is a partner in the Hemant Soren-led govt, it cannot be considered part of the alleged recruitment scam. The party believes irregularities took place in JPSC and JSSC examinations and has consistently supported students demanding a fair investigation and justice. I personally believe that govt should consider CBI probe. That departments related to education, home affairs and police function under CM while appointments to bodies such as JPSC and JSSC are made on the govt’s recommendation. In such circumstances, a probe by the state police cannot be seen as a symbol of transparency,” she said.The former MLA said when allegations are linked to the govt, an independent investigation becomes essential to ensure public confidence and the credibility of the recruitment process.State ministers Sudivya Kumar and Deepika Pandey Singh, who held talks with the students in the build-up to Monday’s march, said govt cannot arbitrarily cancel the exam as it was conducted under court monitoring. On CBI, Kumar said that govt had agreed to recommend for ED as CBI’s earlier probes of JPSC 1 and 2 are still dragging despite taking the case over a decade ago.
