Jharkhand’s 26-day protest over alleged recruitment exam irregularities was suspended after the government cancelled 22 tests and ordered probes into 23 others. The move paused the agitation but triggered court action and fresh protests from successful candidates fearing job losses.
The 26-day protest over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations was suspended on Wednesday after the Hemant Soren government agreed to cancel 22 job exams and order a probe into 23 others held since 2014. The examinations were conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission and an outsourced agency.
Even as the decision brought the main agitation to a halt for now, successful candidates from some of the cancelled examinations, especially the JSSC Combined Graduate Level exam, protested separately and moved the Jharkhand High Court, saying they faced the prospect of losing their jobs despite clearing the tests fairly.
Following several rounds of talks with the exam protesters, the government also conceded to several other demands, which helped calm the stir. Of the six protesters who were on an indefinite hunger strike, three — Rupesh Kumar Pal, Savita Kumari and Rahul Kranti of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch — ended their fast after 15 days on Wednesday. Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Mahto had ended his 16-day hunger strike on Monday, while Prem Nayak and Umme Habiba ended theirs the next day.
However, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch warned that it would intensify the agitation if the government did not act within the deadline. A leader of the Manch said, “We are suspending the stir, giving a two-month ultimatum to the government to resolve the issues and conduct a fair probe into recruitment exam irregularities.”
On the other side, around 2,000 successful candidates protested against the cancellation decision. Some filed petitions in the high court, seeking relief from possible job losses and arguing that they had been recruited after clearing the examinations on merit. Some protesters entered the Jharkhand Secretariat premises on Wednesday despite a prohibitory order and police warnings of legal action for violating it.
These candidates said they were not against an inquiry into alleged irregularities, but opposed the cancellation of entire examinations. They argued that action should be taken against guilty candidates rather than those selected on merit. “We cleared the examination based on our merit. We have no involvement with any irregularities. The government has no right to punish us,” said assistant section officer Shyam Sundar Mandal. They said several among them had already joined departments such as finance, home, road transport, labour, and information and public relations.
Meanwhile, JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said the 26-day agitation had forced the government to act against alleged irregularities. The Manch said it sympathised with candidates who had cleared the cancelled examinations and were now facing the prospect of losing their jobs. Its spokesperson, Piyush Kumar Singh, urged Chief Minister Soren to take stringent measures to prevent any recurrence of malpractice in recruitment examinations. The students also demanded withdrawal of FIRs lodged against protesters who took part in the August 10 march to the Assembly and sought the reinstatement of whistleblower and section officer Santosh Kumar Mastana in the finance department.
The government defended its decision, saying the cancellation of the examinations was necessary to restore public confidence in the recruitment system. It said it would request the high court to order the setting up of a fast-track court to hear cases related to alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. It has also proposed internal vigilance cells in both recruitment commissions. A committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been formed to recommend reforms in the functioning and examination processes of the JPSC and JSSC, and has been given two months to submit its report.
