Jharkhand cancels JSSC-CGL exam, TDPL recruitment tests since 2014

The Jharkhand government cancelled the JSSC-CGL exam and all recruitment tests conducted by outsourced agency TDPL since 2014 amid protests over alleged irregularities. Chief Minister Hemant Soren also announced an exam reforms committee, but protesters vowed to continue demanding a CBI probe

Ranchi: Amid the ongoing protest by job aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, the Jharkhand government on Monday announced the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and all recruitment tests conducted by outsourced agency TDPL since 2014.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced this after chairing a marathon cabinet meeting at the state secretariat. He also announced the formation of an exam reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to recommend measures to strengthen the recruitment exam system.

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“The government has decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam, which was one of the major demands of the protesting students. We have also decided to cancel all tests conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) and the results published by it,” Soren told reporters after the meeting.

The decision came as six protesters continued their hunger strike and a government panel was preparing for another round of talks with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been spearheading the agitation.

Students were seen celebrating and waving the Tricolour after the announcement. However, the decision failed to end the protest as the agitators maintained that their key demand for a CBI probe into alleged examination irregularities had not been accepted.

The Manch said it would continue the agitation until the government agreed to a CBI investigation. The developments came ahead of the proposed seventh round of talks between the government and the protesters.

A student delegation comprising Manch leaders Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar Singh and Ravindra Kumar Ravi was scheduled to meet the government panel. Earlier, the protesters had been told that talks would begin at 2 pm, but the meeting was delayed as Soren held discussions with his ministers.

The agitation has continued for more than three weeks, with six aspirants remaining on hunger strike. Rahul Kranti, one of the protesters undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital, said the agitation would continue unless the government accepted the demand for a CBI probe.

Another hunger striker, Umme Habiba, said the government’s decision to hold fresh talks showed its sensitivity towards the students’ concerns.

Soren said the government was concerned about the agitation and had already enacted the Jharkhand Competitive Examination Prevention and Redressal of Unfair Means in Recruitment Act, which would be implemented strictly.

“Several surprising factors emerged during the probe into exam irregularities by the CID and special investigation team. These cannot be disclosed at this juncture,” Soren said, adding that several companies operating in Jharkhand appeared to be involved in a “huge exam racket”. The agitators had 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 sought Soren’s resignation and accused the ruling JMM-Congress alliance of failing to take concrete action on their demands.

The cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, however, triggered a counter-protest by candidates who had cleared the examination and secured government jobs. A group of successful candidates gathered outside the state secretariat and appealed to Soren not to cancel the examination, claiming that the move would render around 2,000 people jobless.

The opposition BJP backed the protesters’ demand for a CBI probe. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi urged Soren to accept the students’ demands and questioned why the government should fear a CBI probe if it was confident about the recruitment process. Marandi said continued government inaction could push more youth and students onto the streets and extended moral support to the proposed August 20 demonstration.

With the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL and TDPL-conducted examinations, the government has accepted one of the agitation’s most prominent demands. The government, meanwhile, asserted it is prepared to overhaul the examination system through the new reforms committee and stricter enforcement of the anti-unfair-means law.

Meanwhile, the CID continued raids to nab culprits involved in exam irregularities. “We are conducting raids at the JSSC office in connection with alleged irregularities in various examinations,” CID ADG Manoj Kaushik told PTI.