Ranchi: Agitating students in Jharkhand on Monday intensified their protest over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and warning that the government would eventually have to yield to their pressure.
The movement gathered further momentum as student leader Devendra Nath Mahto’s indefinite hunger strike entered its second day.
Mahto said the agitation was not limited to one group but represented the aspirations of students across the state. “The government will have to bow down because this is a fight for the students of the entire Jharkhand,” he said.
Students participating in the protest said they had spoken over a video call with education activists Abhijeet Dipke and Ashutosh Ranka to discuss the situation in Jharkhand and the alleged paper leaks affecting recruitment examinations.
They also urged political parties to extend support to the agitation and back their demand for a fair investigation.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is probing alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination, carried out simultaneous raids at more than 20 locations across the state on Monday.
The searches were conducted in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Deoghar, Godda, Ramgarh, Hazaribagh and Palamu districts, including coaching institutes and premises linked to persons under the scanner.
Investigators examined documents, computers, laptops, mobile phones and digital storage devices during the raids. Several important records were reportedly seized for forensic analysis.
Earlier, the CID had raided the offices of the JPSC and the examination-conducting agency TDPL and seized documents and electronic records related to the conduct of the examination.
So far, 11 people associated with the commission and the examination process have been arrested. Former JPSC chairman and former Jharkhand Chief Secretary L. Khiangte has also been questioned several times and was summoned again on Monday.
The investigation is focusing on the conduct of the examination, question paper management, evaluation procedures and other operational aspects of the recruitment process.
The controversy erupted after large-scale irregularities were alleged in the results of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Examination. The protesters are also getting support from the Cockroach Janta Party, which had earlier led protests over the NEET paper leak in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
(Inputs from IANS)