Guwahati: The Jharkhand government on Monday, August 17, cancelled the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination and all recruitment tests conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) since 2014, following weeks of protests by job aspirants over alleged irregularities.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the decisions after a Cabinet meeting at the state secretariat. The government has also set up an exam reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to suggest measures for improving the state’s recruitment examination system.
Soren said cancelling the JSSC-CGL examination was among the key demands raised by protesting students. He added that all tests conducted by TDPL and the results declared through the agency would also be scrapped.
The move came as six protesters continued their hunger strike, while the government prepared for another round of discussions with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been spearheading the agitation for more than three weeks.
However, the protesters said the cancellations would not bring the agitation to an end, as their principal demand for a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities remained pending.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch said it would continue its protest until the government agreed to a CBI probe. The group has also announced plans to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20.
Soren said investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and a special investigation team had uncovered several “surprising factors”, including the suspected involvement of companies operating in Jharkhand in what he described as a “huge exam racket”. He said further details could not be made public at this stage.
The Chief Minister also said the state had enacted the Jharkhand Competitive Examination Prevention and Redressal of Unfair Means in Recruitment Act and would enforce its provisions strictly.
The cancellation, however, triggered a separate protest by candidates who had cleared the JSSC-CGL examination and subsequently secured government jobs. A group of successful candidates gathered outside the state secretariat and urged Soren to reverse the decision, claiming that around 2,000 people could potentially lose their jobs.
The opposition BJP supported the demand for a CBI probe. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi asked Soren to accept the protesters’ demand and questioned the government’s opposition to a CBI investigation if it was confident in the recruitment process.
Meanwhile, the CID continued its investigation into the alleged examination irregularities. CID ADG Manoj Kaushik said officials were conducting searches at the JSSC office as part of the probe.