- Job aspirants protest JPSC exam irregularities; CM ensures decision.
- Protesters demand independent inquiry panel; state CID investigating.
- Former CM Raghubar Das urged CBI probe, direct dialogue.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said his government was serious about the concerns raised by the protesting job aspirants and a decision would be taken at an appropriate time.
The statement came as job aspirants, who have been staging an indefinite sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since July 29, stepped up their agitation by demanding that the alleged irregularities in the JPSC and other recruitment examinations be investigated by an independent panel of retired high court judges from outside Jharkhand.
“With close scrutiny and complete seriousness, decisions addressing their demands and queries will be announced at the appropriate time. I am confident that the protesters will be reassured,” Soren told reporters in Ranchi.
Referring to the investigation, Soren said the probe agencies were examining every aspect of the alleged irregularities.
“The way the investigation team is active, wherever any kind of mistakes have happened or are happening, all those things are being thoroughly examined, and after everything comes out, the government’s decisions will also certainly come forward,” he said.
The protesters have alleged that the JMM-led government was attempting to “whitewash” the issue by entrusting the investigation to the state CID. They had earlier demanded an investigation by the CBI along with that of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), claiming large-scale financial transactions were linked to the alleged recruitment scam.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Raghubar Das urged Soren to hold direct talks with the agitating youths and consider their demand for a CBI probe.
Addressing a press conference in Jamshedpur, Das said he had written to the chief minister, appealing to him to engage with the students and initiate appropriate action.
He said the letter was written not as a former chief minister or with any political motive, but as someone who understood student movements, having begun his own political journey during the JP movement of 1974.
“The students have not taken to the streets without reason. They are protesting against serious allegations of corruption and irregularities in recruitment examinations. The government should talk to them directly and ensure justice, including considering their demand for a CBI inquiry,” Das said.
He also alleged that the protesting students were not being provided basic facilities such as tents, drinking water or healthcare despite staging a peaceful agitation, and warned that the movement could grow into a mass agitation if their grievances remained unaddressed.
Drawing a comparison with the NEET paper leak case, Das said the Centre had acted swiftly by cancelling the examination, ordering a CBI probe and conducting a re-examination within days.
He questioned why a similar approach was not being adopted in Jharkhand.
The CID has so far arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged irregularities in JPSC examinations, while the commission postponed the Combined Civil Services Mains Examination, originally scheduled from July 25 to 27, citing “unavoidable circumstances” amid mounting protests.
The CID has also questioned former JPSC chairman L Khiangte four times since July 28 and conducted raids at 18 locations across Ranchi, Palamu, Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Dhanbad as part of its investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities.
(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
