Jharkhand Agrees To Students' Key Demand But Protesters Firm On CBI Probe

The Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand has cancelled all exams and recruitment made for government jobs after weeks of protests by students. Chief Minister Soren has assured that these would include the JPSC (Jharkhand Public Service Commission) and the JSSC CGL (Jharkhand Staff Selection Committee-Combined Graduate Level) exams and the investigation will go back till 2014. But the students have refused to call off their protest, insisting on a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

"The results published by the TDPL (Lucknow-based TSR Data Processing Private Limited), and all the candidates selected by the TDPL, or who participated, and all the activities of the TDPL that have taken place here, all of them should be cancelled," Soren told the students this evening.

"All the mistakes, big or small, that have occurred since 2014 will be investigated. The CID will probe all exams held in Jharkhand since 2014," Soren said. "We have decided to constitute a committee for reforms under the chairmanship of our IAS officer, Mr. Amitabh Kaushal," he added. 

The students - who were on Day 24 of their protests on Monday -- have been demanding reforms in the exam system and action over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). The cancelation of JSSC-CGL examinations - where question papers were leaked in 2024 -- has been one of their key demands. Their protest had entered Day 24 on Monday.

Students Say Will Continue Protest

Shortly after the government's annuoncement, student leader Ravindra Paswan said that the agitation will continue till their demand for a CBI probe is accepted. "The demand for a CBI investigation has not yet been accepted, and until the demand for a CBI probe is met, we will continue our movement," he said.

"We have won a major battle, but there's still more to this... We want to thank the Chief Minister for finally hearing our demand after 24 days, but the question remains that until there is a CBI investigation, we will continue our hunger strike" he added.

But it is likely that student leader Devendra Nath Mahato will call off his fast soon.

Mahato is admitted to the Sadar Hospital in Ranchi, where ministers and MLAs are visiting to meet him. It is likely that he will call off his hunger strike in their presence, sources indicated.

Rahul Gandhi letter

The decision of the Hemant Soren government came hours after Congress's  Rahul Gandhi asked him to meet the protesting students. In a letter to Soren on August 14, Gandhi said the protests, which entered day 24 on Monday, have been "peaceful" and the students' demands are "legitimate".

On Saturday, the protesting students had asked Rahul Gandhi to withdraw support from the coalition government if the "Chief Minister was not listening to him". They had pointed out that "no concrete action" was taken by thne government despite Gandhi's support to them.

"The Congress party believes that the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the Constitution of India is one of the central pillars of our democracy. We have, therefore, offered our full support to students protesting paper leaks and irregularities in the education system over the last few months," Gandhi had said in his letter.