Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has demanded a fair and Independent CBI Inquiry into Irregularities in JPSC, JSSC CGL, and Other Cancelled Competitive Examinations rather than State agencies CID.
Marandi alleged that had the CID conducted a transparent probe, identified the actual culprits, and unravelled the conspiracy, millions of aspirants would not have lost faith in the state’s examination system and investigative agencies. Instead of exposing the CGL scam, the CID appeared focused on covering it up, protecting the masterminds, beneficiaries, and their patrons.
Marandi alleged that a serious allegation has emerged against senior CID officials, including Anurag Gupta, regarding massive extortion from candidates under the guise of protecting them from the probe. Aspirants were essentially extorted twice—first during recruitment and again during the CID investigation. Despite these grave charges, the lack of an independent inquiry against Gupta raises serious questions about the government’s intent. Similarly, the subsequent investigation led by Manoj Kaushik failed to inspire public confidence given past allegations against him.
Pointing out that the CID ADG Manoj Kaushik was in the JPSC interview board which was mired in corruption, former CM Babulal Marandi has questioned how would the ongoing CID probe be fair. At the same time another former CM Raghubar Das, who was succeeded by Hemant Soren, questioned if there were indeed irregularities, malpractices, or corruption, what was he doing after assuming power in 2019 and why did he not order an investigation then?
Das said during his tenure, no student ever complained of rigging or malpractice in any of the examinations conducted, nor were there any protests. “There was a dispute regarding technical flaws in the 6th JPSC exam, specifically concerning the policy decision to include marks from Hindi and English papers, but I resolved that issue after speaking with the students,” he asserted.
Marandi demanded handing over investigations of all 22 cancelled and 17 suspected examinations to the CBI or another independent central agency. At the same time recording statements of all interview board members and conducting a scientific, independent investigation into the coding-decoding and candidate allocation processes.
He has demanded to secure all digital evidence, Call Detail Records (CDRs), and physical records immediately. Investigate and fix accountability for CID officers involved in extortion, evidence suppression, and shielding the corrupt.
