New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Former Jamshedpur MP and Congress leader, Dr Ajoy Kumar, has extended support to students protesting against alleged irregularities, corruption and paper leaks in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), urging the state government to address their concerns and ensure a transparent examination system.
In a post on X, Kumar appealed to the Jharkhand government to consider the demands of protesting students with sensitivity and stressed the need for reforms in the recruitment process.
“The future of Jharkhand’s youth hinges on the JPSC and JSSC examinations. @HemantSorenJMM A humble appeal to the government to consider the legitimate demands of students with sensitivity. Making the examination system transparent and time-bound is extremely essential for the country’s development,” Dr Ajoy Kumar said.
“I would like to request the government to constitute a committee headed by a sitting High Court judge and register an FIR into the matter. The results of all examinations conducted so far should be cancelled, and the exams should be conducted afresh in a transparent manner,” Kumar said.
Kumar, who served as the Lok Sabha MP from Jamshedpur, has also held the position of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee President and is associated with the Congress.
The students’ agitation in Ranchi entered its 12th day on Wednesday, with protesters continuing their demonstration against alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations. The protest is being held at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where student leader Devendra Nath Mahto has been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the past four days.
The protesting students have warned that they will gherao the Jharkhand Assembly on August 6 if their demands are not addressed at the earliest.
Their major demands include cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination, a CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, including the JPSC and JSSC-CGL exams, and the release of OMR sheets, main examination answer scripts and category-wise cut-off marks.
The students are also demanding the blacklisting of controversial examination agencies and comprehensive reforms in recruitment bodies to prevent future irregularities.
The protesters have alleged that repeated incidents of examination malpractice are damaging the future of deserving candidates and reducing public confidence in the recruitment system.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Jharkhand, which is probing alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC examination, conducted simultaneous raids on Monday at multiple locations across Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Deoghar, Godda, Ramgarh and Hazaribagh districts.
During the searches, CID officials seized laptops, mobile phones, bank documents, carbon copies of candidates’ OMR sheets, admit cards and other documents believed to be relevant to the investigation. The seized material is being examined through forensic and technical analysis as part of the ongoing probe.
The students have maintained that their movement will continue until concrete steps are taken to address their concerns and restore confidence in Jharkhand’s recruitment examination system.
–IANS
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