Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Former Jharkhand chief minister and senior BJP leader Champai Soren on Saturday questioned the procedure adopted by the Hemant Soren government to cancel examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) following allegations of irregularities.
Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, Soren said the government should have followed the prescribed procedure before taking a decision to cancel the examinations.
He said the JPSC should have first conducted an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and submitted its report to the concerned department and minister, following which the state Cabinet should have taken a decision.
Soren alleged that the Hemant Soren government had instead bypassed the established procedure. He claimed that the JPSC chairman was removed and subsequently arrested, while members of the commission were allegedly forced to resign, before the Cabinet itself decided to cancel the examinations.
“The government should have followed the established rules and procedures before taking such a major decision. Instead, the process adopted by the government raises serious questions,” Soren said.
The former chief minister also criticised the police action during recent student protests over the recruitment examination controversy. He alleged that police personnel and JMM workers used force against students who were peacefully holding demonstrations and burning effigies.
Despite the alleged use of force, the protesting students did not retaliate, he claimed.
Soren accused the state government of becoming “anti-student, anti-youth and anti-people” and alleged that the government had adopted an authoritarian approach towards democratic protests.
He further claimed that during the seven-year tenure of the coalition government, not a single major recruitment process had been conducted in a fully transparent manner.
Referring to the demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, Soren said students were only seeking an impartial investigation.
“Students are demanding a CBI inquiry because they want the truth to come out. Instead of addressing their concerns, the state government is adopting various measures to hide the facts,” he alleged.
Soren said alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations had raised serious concerns among thousands of aspirants and called upon the state government to ensure a transparent and independent investigation rather than suppressing student protests.
