Ranchi, Aug 11: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said the state government is ready to cancel the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Preliminary Examination and the backlog examinations, amid a 19-day student agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment tests.
Addressing the Assembly, Soren said examinations conducted by TDPL, a Lucknow-based IT vendor associated with JPSC examinations, would be investigated and asserted that the government would not hesitate to probe tests that have attracted complaints, allegations or suspicions.
“The government is ready to cancel the 14th JPSC Preliminary examination and the backlog examinations,” Soren said.
He said the government would consult experts from premier institutions, including IITs and IIMs, to reform and strengthen the recruitment examination system and make it more transparent, credible and secure.
The chief minister alleged that agencies such as TDPL had been allowed to compromise the future of Jharkhand’s youth and said accountability would be fixed wherever irregularities were found.
“The government will not hesitate to order investigations into examinations that have attracted complaints, allegations and suspicions,” he said.
The students’ agitation over alleged irregularities in JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations entered its 19th day on Tuesday. Following Monday’s police action and baton charge during an Assembly march, protesters reportedly regrouped late at night at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium and resumed their sit-in.
Soren maintained that the government had already taken decisions on the examination-related issues and would proceed with its plans despite protests by opposition members in the Assembly.
He also defended the administration’s handling of Monday’s march, saying the police and civil administration had acted with restraint.
“The administration and police had acted with restraint,” Soren said, referring to the protest march.
He noted that security restrictions are routinely enforced around constitutional institutions such as state Assemblies, Parliament and Legislative Councils, but protesters had managed to reach close to the Assembly premises during Monday’s demonstration.
Meanwhile, the BJP observed a statewide bandh on Tuesday to protest the lathicharge and other police action against students during the Ranchi demonstration.
The recruitment examination controversy has triggered demands from students for greater transparency, reforms in JPSC and JSSC functioning, cancellation of several examinations and an independent probe.
The government has maintained that it is committed to strengthening the recruitment system and addressing genuine grievances raised by the protesting students.
