Ranchi: Successful candidates of recruitment examinations cancelled by the Jharkhand government staged a demonstration outside the state secretariat on Friday.
Armed with portraits of tribal icon Birsa Munda and JMM founder Shibu Soren and placards, the protesting candidates, including those selected through the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam, raised slogans such as "Nyay do ya faansi do (Give us justice or hang us)" and "Sharm karo, sharm karo (Have shame)".
Ramesh Mandal, a resident of Deoghar who was selected as a welfare officer, said he had been protesting since August 19 and would continue the agitation until justice was delivered.
"I appeal to the government to withdraw its decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination as it did so without assigning any reason," another candidate, Chanda Kumari, said.
The protesters said they have full faith in the judiciary, expressing confidence that the court would stay the government's decision to cancel all the examinations.
The high court on Wednesday stayed notifications cancelling appointments made through the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations and those of Food Safety Officers.
The interim order, however, does not cover all 22 examinations cancelled by the state government.
The government on August 18 cancelled 22 recruitment examinations and ordered probes into 23 others conducted since 2014 by the JPSC, Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and outsourced agency TDPL, amid a prolonged agitation over alleged irregularities.
Around 2,700 successful candidates, including those selected through the JSSC CGL examination, have been protesting against the cancellations. They contend that candidates selected on merit should not lose their jobs because of alleged irregularities.
Meanwhile, the CID's Special Investigation Team (SIT) has interrogated 37 suspects in connection with alleged irregularities in the JSSC Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination 2023.
BJP leader Champai Soren blamed the state government for the situation.
"If there had been even a shred of seriousness in the government regarding this matter, it would have ordered a CBI probe. Jharkhand has been a state for 26 years now, and this so-called 'abua (own)' government has been in power for seven years, but alas, even today, a transparent recruitment process hasn't been established here," he said.
Meanwhile, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch questioned the state government's intent, alleging that neither the Advocate General nor any senior advocate was present in the high court to contest the stay order.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.