Students Continue Stir, Demand CBI Probe Despite Exam Cancellation
Key Points:
- Jharkhand cabinet cancels JSSC CGL exam after 24 days of protests
- All TDPL-linked recruitments also scrapped, CM Hemant Soren confirms
- One faction of protesters continues stir, demands CBI investigation
RANCHI – A section of protesting students called off their agitation on Monday after the Jharkhand cabinet decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission’s Combined Graduate Level examination. The decision came after 24 days of continuous protests by aspirants.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren chaired a crucial state cabinet meeting at Project Bhawan on Monday. The meeting approved cancellation of the long-disputed JSSC CGL exam.
Following cabinet approval, the chief minister personally announced the decision to reporters. The government also decided to scrap all recruitments made through TDPL.
Aspirants had been demonstrating for weeks demanding cancellation of the examination. Many students viewed the government’s move as a major victory after a prolonged struggle.
Students at Ranchi‘s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium had been staging the protest for over three weeks. A section of the demonstrators announced an end to their agitation soon after the cabinet’s decision was made public.
The protesting students thanked the chief minister for cancelling the examination. They described the outcome as a significant victory in their prolonged fight.
However, the movement has not ended entirely. A section of the protesters continues to demand a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.
Students said the government has accepted their demand to cancel the examination. Their second major demand, they said, remains unmet.
“We have won a big battle. We thank the chief minister for this,” one of the protesting students said. “But the demand for a CBI investigation has not been accepted yet. We will keep protesting until that demand is met.”
The JSSC CGL paper leak case has been under scrutiny for months, with the state CID recently conducting raids at the commission’s office. Meanwhile, talks between the government and student representatives had been ongoing in recent days as pressure mounted on the administration.
Moreover, student leader Devendra Nath Mahto had earlier gone on a hunger strike demanding reforms in JPSC and JSSC examinations. The protest had entered its 21st day before the cabinet’s decision was announced, according to earlier reports.
Besides the CGL exam cancellation, the state government had already scrapped the 14th JPSC preliminary examination earlier this month following similar demands. The cabinet’s latest decision on the TDPL recruitments extends the scope of the government’s response to the students’ grievances.
With one part of the movement ending following the exam’s cancellation, the other faction has vowed to continue protesting until a CBI probe is ordered. The direction the agitation now takes will depend on the government’s next steps regarding the investigation demand.
