Devendra Nath Mahto warns of CM House gherao
Surendra Soren
Ranchi
The JPSC-JSSC Abhyarthi Nyay Manch on Friday raised serious questions over the state’s recruitment process and accused the Jharkhand government of failing to present a strong case in favour of students before the High Court.
Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, forum president and student leader Devendranath Mahto alleged that the recruitment system in Jharkhand had been plagued by corruption over the 26 years since the state’s formation. He said the ongoing student movement would not compromise on its core demands under any circumstances.
Mahto warned that if the state government failed to present a strong stand in favour of the students before the High Court on September 15, the forum would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence.
Before that, the forum will launch a Recruitment System Reform March from Nemra, the ancestral village of Dishom Guru and Padma Bhushan awardee Shibu Soren, on August 24. The march will pass through all 24 districts of Jharkhand and seek to create public awareness among students and citizens about alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment system.
Mahto said the agitation would subsequently include a demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s residence and, if necessary, an economic blockade. He asserted that there would be no compromise with the government on the students’ demands.
“The government must guarantee that there will be no irregularities in the recruitment process in the future,” Mahto said, adding that students wanted a transparent and credible recruitment system.
Referring to the JPSC and JSSC CGL cases, Mahto alleged that the state government had failed to effectively present the CID investigation report before the Jharkhand High Court. He claimed that the government’s weak presentation had contributed to the court passing a stay order in the matter.
The forum said its upcoming statewide campaign would focus on mobilising students and the general public and building pressure on the government for comprehensive reforms in the recruitment process.
Meanwhile, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Inquilabi Naujawan Sabha (RYA) on Friday demanded a swift and comprehensive investigation into alleged irregularities, corruption and malpractice in competitive examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
RYA general secretary Neeraj Kumar said students and youth in Jharkhand had been protesting for a long time against alleged corruption and irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. He said the government had cancelled some examinations following the protests, but the lack of adequate legal and administrative groundwork had resulted in the High Court staying the cancellation orders.
Kumar said the High Court had stayed the state government’s decision to cancel the JPSC-JSSC CGL and CDPO examinations. He demanded that examinations found to be under suspicion after the CID probe should be subjected to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigation.
Referring to the 11th-13th JPSC examination, FSO recruitment and the recent JSSC-CGL and CDPO controversies, Kumar said the government should stand with students and ensure a comprehensive investigation. He said genuine candidates should get their rightful opportunities, while those who entered the recruitment process through irregular means should face action.
AISA state secretary Triloki Nath announced that a Student-Youth Parliament would be organised in Dhanbad on August 24. He said prominent activists associated with the Jantar Mantar movement as well as student and youth movements in Bihar and Jharkhand would participate.
