Roshan Kumar
Ranchi
Chaos prevailed at Jharkhand Secretariat on Wednesday after a group of successful candidates, who were terminated from service following the cancellation of recruitment exams, allegedly forced their way into the premises despite a prohibitory order.
The successful candidates who were state government employees 48 hours before are now protesting against the government’s decision to cancel 22 recruitment examinations and order probes into 23 others conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and an outsourced agency. The protesters have been demanding withdrawal of the cancellation orders.
Security was tightened around Project Building, with a heavy police deployment at the spot. Hatia DSP Neeraj Kumar appealed to the protesters to leave the restricted area and continue their agitation peacefully.
“We have been protesting outside the state secretariat since Monday, but the government has neither paid heed to our demands, nor any government officials have reached us for talks. We have no other option but to enter the secretariat campus to press for our demands,” said Chandan Kumar, who had been appointed as an assistant section officer (ASO) in a government department.
The protestors have staged a dharna (sit-in) outside the Jharkhand Mantralaya (Secretariat) since the night of August 17, the employees spent all day Wednesday sitting on the road outside the secretariat complex to voice their opposition.
During the protest, many employees became emotional while sharing their hardships and were seen crying. Deep anger and outrage were visible among the employees over the government’s decision. The employees stated that having secured jobs after rigorous hard work and a selection process, the cancellation of their employment has created a crisis for their future and the livelihood of their families.
Accordingly, at around 6 PM, the employees who lost their jobs took out an outcry march while singing the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana.” Formations lined up on both sides of the road as all the personnel carried out a protest rally.
Starting from the Jharkhand Mantralaya, the employees marched on foot all the way to Hatia Chowk. During this march, they raised opposition and demanded the reinstatement of their appointments.
The candidates claimed that the government took such a harsh decision without hearing their side, and they will not leave the protest site until justice is served. They said that they had left behind jobs in central and other departments to work in their home state, but now they are facing an employment crisis.
Meanwhile, several petitions were filed in Jharkhand High Court challenging the decision of the State government cancelling the JSSC CGL Exam.
The petitions were filed by Avadhesh Kumar, a successful candidate and others, challenging the government decision to arbitrarily remove them from service.
