Assuring the job aspirants of the state protesting against the alleged ‘irregularities’ in the examinations conducted by the recruitment bodies, chief minister Hemant Soren said on Tuesday that the government was awaiting the investigation report of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Jharkhand police.
The statement came amid the ongoing protest by job aspirants, who have been staging an indefinite sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since July 29. They are seeking a probe by central agencies into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), besides cancelling all examinations conducted by the private agency TDPL, which is under the scanner for the alleged irregularities.
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Soren assures support
Speaking on the issue for the first time, the chief minister said, “I am repeating that this government has its eyes and ears at the right place. I can’t open my heart and show. However, it’s known that I always complete any assignment that I take up. The SIT is working day and night. We are waiting for the investigation report. Once we have the findings, we will act accordingly and inform the students and the state about the resulting decisions.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on the issue for the first time, the chief minister said, “I am repeating that this government has its eyes and ears at the right place. I can’t open my heart and show. However, it’s known that I always complete any assignment that I take up. The SIT is working day and night. We are waiting for the investigation report. Once we have the findings, we will act accordingly and inform the students and the state about the resulting decisions.”
{{/usCountry}}Replying to a specific question about whether a delegation would engage with the protesting students, the chief minister underlined that every action required for their welfare would be taken. “Everything possible as per constitutional norms would be done for them,” he added, while assuring them of the government’s support.
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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 to resolve the ongoing recruitment controversy.
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.
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 state crime investigation department has also questioned former JPSC chairman L Khiangte four times since July 28 and conducted raids on Monday at 18 locations across Ranchi, Palamu, Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Dhanbad as part of its investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities.