Jharkhand job exam row: Protesters suspend 26-day stir, give govt 2 months to resolve issues

Students protesting alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations on Wednesday suspended their 26-day agitation and gave the state government two months to resolve the issues and ensure a fair probe.

The announcement came a day after the JMM-led government issued notifications cancelling 22 recruitment examinations and ordering probes into 23 others conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and an outsourced agency since 2014.

"We are now suspending the stir and giving a two-month ultimatum to the government to resolve the issues and conduct a fair probe into recruitment exam irregularities," said a leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.

The Manch, which led the agitation at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium here, said three protesters — Rupesh Kumar Pal, Savita Kumari and Rahul Kranti — ended their 15-day fast on Wednesday.

Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said, “The 26-day protest by students forced J'khand government to cancel 22 recruitment exams and launch a probe into 23 others.”

Spokesperson Piyush Kumar Singh said the students would relaunch a massive agitation if their concerns remained unresolved.

"We urge Chief Minister Hemant Soren to initiate stringent measures to check recurrence of job exam irregularities," he said. The protesters also demanded withdrawal of FIRs against those who participated in the August 10 march to the Assembly and reinstatement of job exam irregularities whistleblower Santosh Kumar Mastana in the finance department.

The protesters also expressed sympathy for candidates who face the risk of losing their jobs after the examinations were cancelled, and alleged that the government was responsible for the situation.

The cancellation of the examinations has triggered panic among candidates who successfully cleared the tests and subsequently joined various state government departments.

Among the cancelled examinations is the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, prompting around 2,000 successful candidates to protest against the decision. The candidates had marched from the state Secretariat to Birsa Chowk in Ranchi on Tuesday, a day after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation.

The appointed candidates have said they are not opposed to an investigation but object to cancellation of the entire examination. They have argued that action should instead be taken against those found guilty of irregularities, rather than candidates who secured appointments through the selection process.

The candidates said several of them had already joined departments including finance, home, road transport, labour, and information and public relations.

The cancelled examinations include recruitment tests for drug inspectors, assistant professors in government engineering and medical colleges, lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers, assistant conservators of forests, forest range officers, food safety officers and child development project officers.

The government has said the action was necessary to restore confidence in the recruitment system amid allegations of malpractice and irregularities.

Alongside the cancellations, the government has announced that it would request the high court to constitute a fast-track court to hear cases related to alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. Internal vigilance cells have also been proposed in both commissions.

A committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been constituted to recommend reforms in JPSC and JSSC examinations. The panel has been asked to submit its report within two months and is expected to examine the recruitment process and suggest measures to prevent paper leaks, manipulation and other forms of malpractice.

The investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities has also intensified.

The Jharkhand CID arrested Sushma Kumari, wife of key accused Abhay Tiwari, and his brother Akshay Tiwari after questioning them for several hours.

Tiwari, a former employee of outsourced agency TDPL who was posted as a block supply officer in Godda district's Poriyahat, was arrested by the CID on July 22.

Officials said the investigation found that Tiwari had qualified for around 12 competitive examinations over 13 years, including tests conducted by the police, the Navy, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the CRPF and Northern Coalfields. Investigators are examining his application forms, documents, evaluation records and selection details.

Investigators claimed that Tiwari told them that different “rate charts” were allegedly used for candidates seeking to qualify in competitive examinations, with "payments ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 70 lakh".

JLKM leader Devendra Mahto, who ended a 16-day hunger strike following the government's announcement, has said he would soon launch a second phase of agitation.

A Congress delegation met Soren and welcomed the cancellations, saying the move would protect students seeking fair recruitment.

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi accused the JMM-led government of “cheating” protesting students by cancelling the examinations without accepting their demand for a CBI probe.